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

Marine Parade-Braddell Heights Town Council said that the workers were depositing containers from their own purchases, with some also given to them directly by residents.

PHOTO: SCREENGRAB FROM JIATONG888/TIKTOK

Published Nov 02, 2026, 01:45 PM

Updated Nov 02, 2026, 01:45 PM

Marine Parade-Braddell Heights Town Council denied claims that conservancy workers were scavenging cans for a “double salary” under the BCRS.

A viral TikTok video showed two workers returning containers, but the council said they were from their own purchases or gifts from residents, and were deposited after work.

The council reminded workers not to rummage through bins or wear uniforms during personal recycling, while Minister Grace Fu said such bin scavenging is illegal and the NEA will act.

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.

Marine Parade-Braddell Heights GRC

National Environment Agency

Environmental issues

Marine Parade-Braddell Heights 镇议会表示，工人们正在存放他们自己购买的容器，其中一些容器也是居民直接赠送的。

图片：截图来自 JIATONG888/TIKTOK

发布于 2026 年 11 月 2 日下午 1:45

更新于2026年11月2日下午1:45

Marine Parade-Braddell Heights 镇议会否认了有关保护区工作人员根据 BCRS 法案以“双倍工资”为由捡拾易拉罐的说法。

TikTok 上疯传的一段视频显示，两名工人正在归还集装箱，但市政委员会表示，这些集装箱是他们自己购买的物品或居民赠送的礼物，是在下班后存放的。

市议会提醒工人不要翻找垃圾桶或在进行个人回收时穿着制服，而环境部长傅海燕表示，这种翻找垃圾桶的行为是违法的，国家环境局将采取行动。

新加坡——马林百列-布莱德尔高地市镇理事会驳斥了有关其环卫工人从垃圾桶中捡拾饮料容器，并通过饮料容器回收计划（BCRS）赚取“双倍工资”的指控。

镇议会的回应源于 10 月下旬用户 jiatong888 在 TikTok 上上传的一段病毒式传播的视频。视频显示，两名身穿蓝色翻领 T 恤（背面印有镇议会标志）的男子，将装在垃圾袋里的空饮料容器丢弃在 BCRS 回收点。

截至11月2日中午，该视频已获得超过1200个赞和超过1000次分享。

视频中，拍摄者指责当局允许市镇理事会工作人员收集饮料罐并从中牟利。根据这项于四月推出的计划，市民在全岛的自动回收机上退回符合条件的瓶罐，即可获得10新加坡分的退款。

视频标题部分写道：“为什么政府说老年人不能从垃圾桶里捡易拉罐，而市政人员却可以？他们拿着政府的工资，却还能从捡到的易拉罐里拿回押金！这岂不是说他们拿双份工资？我只是想知道，这算不算对普通公民和政府工作人员的双重标准？”

该TikTok用户还声称，这是他们第二次看到工人们这样做。

11 月 1 日，Marine Parade-Braddell Heights 镇议会在 Facebook 上发帖称，他们已经看到了公众对该视频的担忧，并感谢抽出时间与他们分享想法的公众成员。

“我们尤其感谢那些对我们工作人员的工作表示认可和赞扬的人们，”镇议会表示。

镇议会在声明中表示，工人们将自己购买的物品装入容器，其中一些容器是居民直接赠送的。声明还补充说，工人们是在下班后进行这项工作的。

该公司表示，不允许其工作人员翻找垃圾桶或回收箱来获取此类物品，并且自 BRCS 计划开始以来，该公司一直向所有环卫工人强调这一要求。

事件发生后，镇议会表示已提醒工人们遵守其操作准则，并建议他们在工作时间之外进行个人 BCRS 活动时不要穿着工作服。

镇议会表示，这样做是为了避免任何误解，即这些工人是以镇议会任命的工人的身份这样做的。

“我们的环卫工人在保持社区清洁方面发挥着重要作用。他们也是我们社区的成员，我们希望居民们能够理解，他们可以像其他人一样，在自己的时间参与垃圾回收计划。同时，遵守正确的作业规范也至关重要。”市议会表示。

镇议会表示，他们非常重视反馈意见，并将继续与清洁承包商合作，以明确服务标准。

“感谢您的理解，并感谢您与我们共同努力，保持我们社区的清洁、安全和宜居，”声明补充道。

10月初，永续及环境部长傅海燕在国会书面答复中表示，翻找公共垃圾桶、从中取出物品以及将垃圾遗弃或倾倒在地上均属违法行为，并补充说，国家环境局将对犯有这些罪行的人采取行动。

傅先生是在回应东海岸集选区议员哈兹丽娜·阿卜杜勒·哈利姆的提问时做出上述表态的。哈兹丽娜·阿卜杜勒·哈利姆询问，在“基本清洁食品供应计划”（BCRS）下，有哪些措施可以防止不卫生的行为，例如翻找垃圾桶。

Daniel Lai 是 ST Now 团队的记者，负责报道突发新闻和国际事务。

马林百列-布拉德尔高地 GRC

国家环境局

环境问题