Written Reply to Parliamentary Question on BCRS Reverse Vending Machine Locations

Questions:

Assoc Prof Jamus Jerome Lim: To ask the Minister for Sustainability and the Environment whether there are plans under the Beverage Container Recycling Scheme to locate a Reverse Vending Machine in the vicinity of every coffeeshop or supermarket to simplify the return of containers at these high-usage locations.

Ms Valerie Lee: To ask the Minister for Sustainability and the Environment (a) how many Return Right Beverage Container Return Scheme machines are currently located in schools; (b) whether there are plans to install these machines in schools that do not have them; and (c) if not, what is the rationale for siting return machines away from such points of consumption.

Answer:

The response to this question also addresses a related Parliamentary Question on the location of reverse vending machines (RVMs) filed by Ms Valerie Lee for the Sitting on 10 September.   

Under the Return Right Beverage Container Return Scheme (BCRS), RVMs have been deployed in publicly accessible locations with high footfall such as large supermarkets and hawker centres, as well as in HDB estates. This allows over 90% of HDB residents to be within a 5-minute walk of a machine.

The objective is to make access to RVMs convenient across the community while managing costs and logistical needs. Although there are currently no plans to place RVMs at every location where beverages are consumed, including coffeeshops and school canteens, we will continue to monitor the volume and pattern of return activities.