Town council refutes claim conservancy workers scavenged cans for ‘double salary’ via BCRS scheme

SINGAPORE – The Marine Parade-Braddell Heights Town Council has refuted allegations that its conservancy workers scavenged drink containers from rubbish bins to earn a “double salary” via the Beverage Container Return Scheme (BCRS).

The town council’s response followed a viral video uploaded on TikTok by user jiatong888 in late October, which showed two men, clad in blue, collared T-shirts bearing the town council’s logo on the back, depositing empty drink containers kept in a trash bag at a BCRS return point.

At noon on Nov 2, the video had garnered more than 1,200 likes and over 1,000 shares.

In the video, the person behind the camera can be heard accusing the authorities of allowing town council staff to collect the drink cans and earn the refunds. Under the scheme, which was introduced in April, people can receive a refund of 10 Singapore cents for every eligible bottle and can that is returned at reverse vending machines islandwide.

Part of the video’s caption read: “Why the govt say old ppl cannot take cans from rubbish bins but the town council ppl can? They r taking salary from the govt yet they take the refund money from the cans taken from the rubbish bins!! That’s mean they r taking double salary? I just wan to know whether is it a double standard to normal citizens n those working for the govt (sic)”

The TikTok user also claimed it was the second day they had seen the workers doing so.

In a Facebook post on Nov 1, the Marine Parade-Braddell Heights Town Council said it has seen the concerns raised over the video, and thanked members of the public who have taken time to share their thoughts with them.

“We are also especially thankful for those who expressed kind words recognising the work of our workers,” the town council said.

In its statement, the town council said that the workers were depositing containers from their own purchases, with some also given to them directly by residents. It added that the workers were also doing so after their working hours.

It said that its workers are not permitted to rummage through refuse or recycling bins to retrieve such items, and that it emphasised this requirement to all conservancy workers since the BRCS scheme began.

Following the incident, the town council said that it has reminded the workers to follow its operational guidelines, and advised them not to wear their work uniforms when carrying out personal BCRS activities outside working hours.

The town council said that this is to avoid any misunderstanding that the workers are doing so in their capacity as its appointed workers.

“Our conservancy workers play an important role in keeping our neighbourhoods clean. They are also members of our community, and we hope residents can understand that they may participate in the recycling scheme in their own time, just like everyone else. At the same time, it is important that proper work practices are observed,” the town council said.

The town council said that it takes feedback seriously and will continue to work with its cleaning contractor to reinforce expectations.

“Thank you for your understanding and for working with us to keep our neighbourhood clean, safe and pleasant for everyone,” it added.

Earlier in October, Minister for Sustainability and the Environment Grace Fu, in a written parliamentary reply, said that rummaging through public refuse bins, removing items from them, and leaving or spilling waste on the ground are against the law, adding that the National Environment Agency will take action against those who have committed these offences.

Fu was responding to a question by Hazlina Abdul Halim, the MP for East Coast GRC, who asked what measures would prevent unhygienic practices under the BCRS, such as rummaging through rubbish bins.

Daniel Lai is a journalist at the ST Now team, covering breaking news and international affairs.