NEA grants 29 non-profit groups final extension till Nov 30 to distribute non-BCRS stock

SINGAPORE: A total of 29 non-profit organisations have been granted until Nov 30 to receive and distribute drinks without the Beverage Container Return Scheme (BCRS) deposit mark, as the one-month grace period for smaller retailers ended on Oct 31.

The National Environment Agency (NEA) said on Tuesday (Nov 10) in response to CNA's queries that the final extension applies to non-profit organisations that had previously applied for a grace period. 

Under the BCRS, eligible plastic bottles and metal cans with volumes between 150ml and 3,000ml carry a refundable 10-cent (US$0.08) deposit. These containers carry a deposit mark. 

The deposit is refunded when consumers return the empty containers at Return Right reverse vending machines. 

While the BCRS started on Apr 1 this year, producers were given a transition period until Sep 30 to clear unlabelled stock. On Sep 18, NEA granted smaller retailers and non-profit organisations a one-month grace period until Oct 31 to clear unlabelled stock.

NEA told CNA that it received more than 3,600 applications for the grace period, of which about 85 per cent were approved, while the remaining applications did not meet the eligibility criteria. 

"Smaller retailers who have small amounts of residual non-BCRS-labelled stocks, have options such as checking with suppliers on stock exchanges or obtaining BCRS stickers for registered products, as well as re-exporting their remaining stock for consumption overseas," said NEA. 

"Retailers who wish to donate their remaining stock to non-profit organisations should contact NEA to discuss the arrangements."

The 29 non-profit organisations granted the final extension include Food from the Heart, Its Raining Raincoats, Singapore Red Cross Society, and The Bone Marrow Donor Programme.

NEA said that it will "focus on helping businesses rectify non-compliance while maintaining a level playing field for businesses that have complied with the requirements".

Around 1,500 Return Right reverse vending machines have been deployed and are operational islandwide to date, including at major supermarkets, industrial estates, institutes of higher learning and other high-footfall locations, said NEA. 

"Over 90 per cent of HDB (Housing and Development Board) residents are within a five-minute walk of a return point, with all hawker centres and coffeeshops within HDB estates having a machine on-site or nearby," it added. 

"More Return Right machines will be progressively deployed to provide greater convenience for the public to return used beverage containers."