Last Updated on 2022-09-22 , 1:49 pm
If you read the headline and thought that it’s yet another way for the food industry to earn more moolah from us, fret not: it’s actually an initiative by the authorities to cut waste.
Here’s what you need to know about this initiative that might or might not happen, although I’m betting all my boss’ assets that it’ll definitely happen.
Everything About the $0.10 to $0.20 Deposit For Canned / Bottle Drinks From 2024
Today (20 September 2022), the National Environment Agency (NEA) said that from mid-2024, consumers may have to pay an extra 10 to 20 cents as a deposit for drinks in plastic bottles or metal cans, on top of the retail price, which they can get back by taking the container to a return point such as a supermarket.
They’re now inviting the public to share their views and suggestions on the proposed beverage container return scheme.
This consultation forms part of the series of public engagements under the Steward Pillar of the Forward Singapore exercise on the topic of the circular economy and zero waste.
According to the NEA, packaging waste, including plastics, has high volume generation and low recycling rates.
About a third of domestic waste disposed of is packaging waste, and about 60 per cent of this is plastic waste.
In 2021, only 6 per cent of plastic waste disposed of was recycled.
The goal is to reduce the amount of waste sent to the landfill per capita per day by 20 per cent by 2026 and 30 per cent by 2030, and to increase the national recycling rate to 70 per cent by 2030.
How It’ll Work
Here’s how it works: a small deposit will be applied to certain beverage containers when consumers buy a pre-packaged beverage. Consumers can then claim a deposit refund by returning their empty beverage container to a designated return point.
It will cover all pre-packaged beverages (including beer, concentrate, fruit juice, milk/dairy, soft drinks, spirits, water, and wine). To help consumers identify containers covered under the scheme, beverage containers would be labelled with a Singapore deposit mark.
This will include metal cans and plastic bottles that are 150ml to 3 litres. Beverage cartons and glass bottles could be considered in a later phase.
Return points will generally be located at retail outlets and community spaces. NEA has proposed that large supermarkets with a total floor area of >200m2 be mandated to set up return points.
Additional return points would be set up at other locations in the community (e.g., Community Clubs, Town Centres and sport facilities) to increase accessibility.
Senior Minister of State for Sustainability and the Environment, Dr Amy Khor, said, “The beverage container return scheme has the potential to significantly improve our beverage container recycling rate.
“It will be a step forward in the way Singapore manages our packaging waste. We encourage everyone to use this public consultation to share their views and suggestions on how we can make this scheme a sustainable one that works for Singapore.”
You can provide your feedback or suggestions at go.gov.sg/nea-bcrs.
The closing date for the submission of views and feedback is Friday, 14 October 2022, 11.59pm. A summary of responses will be published thereafter.
With the mandatory nutrition label “Nutri-Grade” that’ll take effect from 30 December this year, and this new scheme, you can bet that soon, drinks in supermarket would look very, very different.
One can only wonder how many things can be printed on a small canned drink.
You can watch this video to know more about Nutri-Grade and how it’ll even affect bubble teas:
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