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In 2019, the Singapore Ministry of Sustainability and Environment (MSE) established the Recycle Right Citizens' Workgroup to allow citizens to collaborate and recommend solutions to improve household recycling under the #RecycleRight campaign. As part of the nine proposals, three team members suggested the establishment of a national deposit scheme. [1]
In response, the Singapore National Environment Agency (NEA) responded they will explore the efficacy of a deposit return scheme, developing a proposed plan over two years. From September to October 2022, the NEA opened up public consultation on the proposed return scheme, which included details such as covered container types, return point locations, and the deposit amount. [2]
In March 2023, the government officially announced the establishment of the national Beverage Container Return Scheme. The program is set to begin April 1, 2025, with a transition period between April 2025 to June 2025 to phase out old stock without the mandatory deposit labeling. [3] The scheme is expected to cover plastic bottles and metal cans between 150 mL and 3 L, with a projected refund amount of 10 cents. [4]Footnotes
[1] "Nine citizen proposals to improve household recycling in Singapore." #RecycleRight Citizens Workgroup 2019. Published by Singapore Ministry of Sustainability and the Environment. November 2019.
[2]"Public Consultation On Proposed Beverage Container Return Scheme." Singapore National Environment Agency. 2022.
[3] "Beverage Packaging to Get Refundable Deposit in Container Return Scheme." The Beat Asia. March 22, 2023.
[4] "The Beverage Container Return Scheme Highlights Singapore’s Commitment To Tackle Packaging Waste." Singapore National Environment Agency (NEA). March 21, 2023.
Last updated on May 22,2023.