Challenges presented by the coronavirus mean the initiative will not be implemented until next year
Plans aimed at reducing plastic and glass waste in Scotland have been delayed.
Scotland's deposit return scheme has been delayed by more than a year amid fears of the effects of coronavirus.
The start date for the scheme is to be pushed back from April next year to July 2022.
Under the initiative, people will be able to return a container to shops in return for a 20p fee which was paid when the drink was purchased.
The government said the delay would give businesses time to ensure the necessary infrastructure was in place.
Environment secretary Roseanna Cunningham said: "Our deposit return scheme will be the first national scheme of its type operating in the UK.
"By including a wide range of materials, including glass, and setting a deposit of 20p, we are giving the people of Scotland a clear and straightforward way to do their bit for the environment.
"Having listened to the views of stakeholders, I have agreed to extend the 'go-live' date from April 2021 to July 2022."
John Mayhew, director of the Association for the Protection of Rural Scotland, criticised the delay.
He said: "We were concerned enough last year when ministers proposed to delay Scotland's deposit return system until April 2021, more than a decade after the Climate Change Act was passed.
"Today they are trying to delay it a further 15 months to July 2022, which would mean almost five years will have passed between the First Minister's announcement and the system launching - and worse, the targets wouldn't even start until 2023."
