Nerf gun bullet, slipper, underwear among litter in machines to collect recyclable bottles, cans
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A plastic cup (left) jamming the opening of a reverse vending machine. Other inappropriate items found in some machines included an umbrella (right) and an electronics charging case.
PHOTOS: BCRS LTD
- Reverse vending machines in Singapore have received inappropriate items like nerf bullets, slippers, and underwear, disrupting recycling and inconveniencing users.
- Since April, 5.5 million bottles and cans were returned, but some users faced refund delays due to machine errors and payment method confusion.
- BCRS is improving machines, expanding payment options, and increasing machine numbers to 2,000 by the scheme's first year to enhance recycling efficiency.
AI generated
SINGAPORE – An umbrella, a nerf gun bullet, a slipper and even underwear were among litter found in some of the 1,200 reverse vending machines installed islandwide from April 1 to collect cans and bottles for recycling.
These acts of mischief can disrupt the machines and cause inconvenience to others wanting to recycle, BCRS, the operator behind the Beverage Container Return Scheme, said on Aug 6.
“Recycling is a shared responsibility, and caring for these machines helps keep them accessible and reliable for the community,” said BCRS, adding that a plastic cup was found to have jammed the opening of one such machine during a routine check.
An electronics charging case, a paper cup and plastic packaging were also found in these Return Right machines.
BCRS did not reveal the proportion of litter to the roughly 5.5 million used bottles and cans collected since April 1.
A nerf gun bullet found inside a reverse vending machine.
PHOTO: BCRS LTD
“We do not keep an exact count of every inappropriate item placed in Return Right machines, as these are removed during routine maintenance,” it said.
Under the scheme, customers pay an extra 10 cents for each canned or bottled drink, but get the money back when they drop the used containers into a Return Right machine. The payments are made directly to customers’ ez-link cards or DBS PayLah! wallets.
During the four months from April to July, over one million successful refunds were made for the 5.5 million used bottles and cans dropped off at the machines. Fifty-five per cent of the materials collected were plastic, and 45 per cent were metal.
Some complaints surfaced on social media and Reddit from residents who had returned their bottles but did not receive refunds immediately or had their returns rejected by the machines.
Some people even had to e-mail BCRS and wait up to 30 business days to receive their 10-cent deposit.
Some bottles had also been rejected as customers did not have physical ez-link cards or DBS PayLah! wallets to receive their refunds, BCRS said. For example, users would use their Nets Flashpay card instead of a physical SimplyGo ez-link card.
Other refund issues were attributed to “connectivity disruptions”, but the operator did not elaborate on whether they were poor mobile coverage or fibre broadband cuts.
ST has asked BCRS for the number of refund failures.
A BCRS representative guiding Canberra residents in returning their empty drinks bottles at a Return Right machine on June 6.
ST PHOTO: JASEL POH
In July, BCRS made some improvements to the machine interface to prevent unsuccessful refunds. These include doubling the refund window period to one minute and making the “Tap for Refund” button more visible on the screen.
BCRS said: “We will continue to explore additional e-payment methods. We are applying learnings from early operations to improve the return experience, reduce avoidable machine errors, recalibrate container recognition and acceptance parameters, and enhance the refund process.”
These need to be balanced against safeguarding the integrity of the scheme to prevent fraudulent activities where users tamper with the machine to claim over-payments.
The scheme remains in its transition phase until Oct 1, when all bottles and cans in the market must have the 10-cent deposit logo.
While there are currently 1,200 machines islandwide in community spaces, including HDB void decks and supermarkets, another 300 machines are expected to be installed in tertiary institutions, industrial estates and tourist attractions.
BCRS is on track to increase the number of return points to around 2,000 by April 2027.
The locations of existing machines are found online at https://returnright.sg/p/static-map
The used bottles and cans are sent to a counting and sorting facility in Tuas Bay before they are later exported to overseas recyclers.