Tesco has started a plastic bottle deposit return trial scheme.

The supermarket giant hopes to make it simpler for customers to recycle plastic packaging and aims to incentivise bottles being returned, with a 10p payment offered for each one brought back to the store.

It plans to eventually move to a closed-loop packaging system and calls on the government to facilitate this by introducing a more consistent approach to recycling across the country.

The trial will take place at stores in Borehamwood, Swansea, Edinburgh, Manchester and Birmingham.

The grocer’s customers will also soon be able to get their meat, cheese or fish purchases wrapped in recyclable paper, to be placed inside reusable containers they have brought from home.

Jason Tarry, CEO of Tesco UK and Ireland, said: “We are already committed to eliminating single-use plastic wherever we can and make recycling simpler for customers.

“We would urge the government to move to a single, nationwide approach to waste collection that makes it much easier for people to recycle.”