SINGAPORE: On Tuesday (March 3), Senior Minister of State for Sustainability and the Environment Janil Puthucheary provided clarity on the new scheme requiring a S$0.10 deposit for bottled and canned drinks, which is scheduled to be implemented in Singapore on April 1.
Dr Janil said that the Beverage Container Return Scheme (BCRS) will launch with the name “Return Right,” which is expected to recover more than 16,000 tonnes of material every year for recycling, though he admitted that it require producers, retailers, consumers, food shops, and everyone else to make adjustments, and that it may take some time for the scheme to take hold.
“Through Return Right, we hope that Singaporeans will also become more mindful of the packaging they consume, dispose of waste properly to keep our shared spaces clean, and practise good recycling habits, which will reduce contamination in our blue recycling bins,” he added.
Though the scheme launches in a few weeks, containers that carry the Return Right’s deposit mark will enter the market gradually and become widely available by August and September of this year, which gives Singaporeans time to transition to a new way of recycling.
Where the additional 10¢ will reflect
Dr Janil said that major supermarket operators have decided that the price tags on shelves will not include the 10-cent deposit, but this additional charge will reflect when consumers check out their groceries.
“We will continue to work closely with the industry to ensure transparent pricing for consumers,” he said, adding that the government is working with BCRS Ltd. to make recycling as practical as possible, while keeping the cost of operations reasonable.
Mechanics of Return Right
The aim is to have more than 1,000 Return Right reverse vending machines by April 1. At the machines, consumers can get their 10-cent deposit refunded through their SimplyGo EZ-Link cards and concession cards, and DBS PayLah!
To make getting deposits easier, there will be roving ambassadors to help consumers when the machines are launched.
As some seniors and persons with disabilities may require additional support to adapt to the scheme, there will be people from community partners to reach out to these groups to help them understand the scheme and address any challenges they may face in returning bottles and cans.
What about at eateries?
Dr Janil noted the diversity of the F&B landscape in Singapore, which has given rise to two types of mechanics for the scheme when it comes to eating out.
He said that some establishments will not charge customers the 10-cent deposit when they dine in. They plan to collect the containers of beverages consumed when customers eat at their establishments, so there is no need for the additional charge for the deposit.
“These establishments will be known as Return Right F&B outlets. Because they will take care of the container, they are taking on the responsibility, and so they will not transfer that responsibility onto their customers,” he said.
Return Right F&B outlets will display signs and decals prominently to help diners easily identify these outlets. As this requires effort and operational adjustments for the F&B operators, the government will provide a one-time support of $500 per food shop on application.
Otherwise, at restaurants and food shops not participating in the Return Right F&B scheme, drink containers will be sold with a 10-cent deposit, which means the consumer will be responsible for their return.
This type of arrangement is more suitable for hawker centres and most coffeeshops.
“In these settings, takeback arrangements could be challenging due to the porous nature of dining areas and the presence of multiple drink stalls within the same area in the case of hawker centres,” Dr Janil noted, but he added that most HDB coffeeshops will be within a 5-minute walk from a reverse vending machine. At hawker centres, these machines will be placed either within the premises or nearby. /TISG
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