Over 33 million bottles and cans collected under beverage container return scheme; new sorting plant unveiled

Speaking to reporters at the new facility on Monday, Senior Minister of State for Sustainability and the Environment Janil Puthucheary said the scheme has the capacity to process about one billion containers a year. This will allow about 16,000 tonnes of material to be recovered annually.

“The more that we can reduce contamination and we can have clean containers returned in the recycling process, the better the scheme is going to work,” he said.

“The more material that we can then reuse to produce beverage containers.”

Dr Puthucheary also acknowledged that some smaller retailers are having difficulty clearing stock without the deposit mark ahead of the end of the transition period. He said eligible retailers can apply for an additional one-month grace period by registering with the National Environment Agency by the end of the month.

Ms Stephanie Yip, chief executive of BCRS Ltd, said it has taken an “extended ecosystem” to bring to life efforts to create a more circular economy, acknowledging that it will not be perfect from day one.

“Our commitment is to run the scheme in a way that is fair, transparent and accountable. Whether it’s our collection rates, showing you how we count and sort at our facility for recycling, we want to build your trust through transparency. Return Right is new for everyone, and we are just at the beginning,” said Ms Yip.

“There will be things to improve over time. We are committed to staying open, listening to feedback, and continuing to strengthen the system so it supports everyone involved as fairly as possible,” she said.

Operational since August, the 2,000 sq m facility sorts and processes collected containers before sending them to recyclers to be turned into new products.

The scheme, which launched on Apr 1, requires consumers to pay a refundable S$0.10 (US$0.07) deposit on eligible beverage containers — pre-packaged plastic or metal containers with volumes between 150ml and 3,000ml.

Consumers can recoup their deposits by returning marked containers to one of about 1,300 Return Right reverse vending machines across Singapore, with another 200 machines slated to come online.

The scheme is currently in a transition period, during which retailers are phasing out drinks without the deposit mark. From Oct 1, drinks without the deposit mark can no longer be sold.

Metal and plastic beverage containers returned via reverse vending machines are handed over to Cora Environment, a waste management firm that operates the new facility and is in charge of the counting, sorting and baling of recycled materials for the scheme. Cora Environment was formerly known as Sembcorp Environment and SembWaste.