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Ministry of Sustainability and the Environment
Parliament Q&A

Written Reply to Parliamentary Question on Return Right F&B Scheme & Exemptions from BCRS

4 November 2026

Written Reply to Parliamentary Question on Return Right F&B Scheme & Exemptions from BCRS by Ms Grace Fu, Minister for Sustainability and the Environment.

Questions:

Mr Dennis Tan Lip Fong: To ask the Minister for Sustainability and the Environment (a) how many coffeeshops, hawker centres and food courts currently participate in the Return Right F&B Scheme; (b) whether the Ministry has assessed the effectiveness of operator-led collection and return arrangements in increasing beverage container return rates and reducing inconvenience to diners; and (c) if so, whether it will consider requiring larger food and beverage premises to participate in such arrangements.         

Mr Chua Kheng Wee Louis: To ask the Minister for Sustainability and the Environment (a) what criteria does the NEA apply in granting exemptions from the Beverage Container Return Scheme (BCRS) deposit, such as for the Singapore Grand Prix; and (b) whether (i) eligibility for exemption from the BCRS or (ii) inclusion into the Return Right F&B Scheme for dine-in outlets will be extended to select locations such as airport transit areas.

Answer:

The response to this question also addresses Nos 19 and 20 on today’s Order Paper.

The Return Right F&B Scheme (RRFS) is open to all F&B operators that hold a valid licence from the Singapore Food Agency, have dine-in arrangements, and sell beverages regulated under the Beverage Container Return Scheme (BCRS). Under the RRFS, participating F&B outlets bear the cost of the deposits on BCRS-regulated beverages sold and consumed at their premises, and retain the empty beverage containers without charging customers the deposit.

Close to 3,000 F&B outlets are participating in the RRFS. These include food courts and restaurants located in airport transit areas. Coffeeshops and hawker stalls currently form a small minority of the participating outlets.

For the 2026 Formula 1 Singapore Airlines Singapore Grand Prix, the event organiser and its permitted F&B operators were treated the same as the RRFS outlets with the exemption from having to collect the deposit from consumers. They were required to pay the 10-cent deposit to their beverage suppliers. Similar to the arrangements at RRFS outlets, the event organiser also put in place a system for patrons to return their beverage containers for recycling.

As the scheme has just been fully implemented on 1 October 2026, it is still too early to gauge the overall effectiveness of operator-led collection and return arrangements. NEA will consider applying the RRFS to other large-scale events if they are able to comply with the conditions.