Neighbourhood retailers can apply for grace period to sell non-BCRS Return Right-labelled drinks until Oct 31

With less than two weeks before the full implementation of the Beverage Container Return Scheme (BCRS) , retailers and distributors have been trying to clear their stock of drinks without the Return Right logo, but smaller retailers have faced challenges.

Recognising that such retailers, including neighbourhood convenience stores and family-run provision shops, may need "a little more time" to clear their existing stock of drinks without the requisite logo, the National Environment Agency (NEA) has extended a lifeline.

The agency said in a news release on Friday (Sept 18) evening that it is prepared to assist small retailers who face genuine difficulties clearing their non-BCRS-labelled stock.

Such retailers can register with NEA by Sept 30 for a grace period until Oct 31.

NEA said it will carefully review each submission and provide a written confirmation of the outcome.

It will also allow non-profit organisations to distribute donated non-BCRS-labelled stock to their beneficiaries by Oct 31, provided that they register with NEA by Sept 30.

"We want to make sure no one is left behind as we take this step towards a more sustainable Singapore," said Senior Minister of State for Sustainability and the Environment Janil Puthucheary in a social media post on Friday evening.

He added that BCRS is a collective effort: "That means bringing everyone along, including our small businesses who are the heartbeat of our neighbourhoods."

Retailers who intend to apply for an extension can do so via NEA's online form .

When the BCRS was launched on April 1, a six-month transition period was introduced to allow producers and retailers sufficient time to progressively replace their stocks with BCRS-labelled beverages.

Under the scheme, all plastic bottles and cans from 150ml to 3 litres must be labelled with the 10-cent deposit mark from Oct 1, or they cannot be sold.

Customers pay an extra 10 cents for each drink purchased under the scheme and receive the money back when they deposit the used containers into a reverse vending machine, also called a Return Right machine.

About 1,070 machines have been deployed since April 1, with over 90 per cent of HDB residents within a five-minute walk of a reverse vending machine, in addition to those located at larger supermarkets.

Another 300 machines are set to be deployed in areas outside the initial rollout zone, including industrial estates, Institutes of Higher Learning (IHLs), and other places of interest.

Earlier in August, the scheme's operator introduced changes to the user interface and a longer refund timeout window on the machines to improve customer experience.

The scheme has handled over a million transactions, with 5.5 million beverage containers returned as at August.

From Oct 1, it will be an offence for anyone, including supermarket operators, to supply any regulated beverage if the container is not affixed with the scheme's deposit mark and a barcode.

距离饮料容器回收计划 (BCRS) 全面实施还有不到两周的时间，零售商和分销商一直在努力清理没有“退货权”标志的饮料库存，但小型零售商面临着挑战。

国家环境局 (NEA) 意识到，包括社区便利店和家庭经营的杂货店在内的此类零售商可能需要“更多时间”来清理其现有库存中没有必要标志的饮料，因此延长了其生存期。

该机构在周五（9 月 18 日）晚间的新闻稿中表示，它已准备好帮助那些在清理未贴 BCRS 标签的库存方面面临真正困难的小零售商。

此类零售商可在 9 月 30 日前向国家环境局 (NEA) 注册，宽限期至 10 月 31 日。

新加坡国家环境局表示，将认真审查每一份申请，并以书面形式确认审查结果。

该规定还将允许非营利组织在 9 月 30 日前向国家环境局 (NEA) 注册后，于 10 月 31 日前向其受益人分发捐赠的非 BCRS 标签股票。

“我们希望确保在迈向更可持续发展的新加坡的这一步中，没有人掉队，”永续发展及环境部高级政务部长贾尼尔·普图切里周五晚间在社交媒体上发帖表示。

他还补充说，BCRS 是一项集体努力：“这意味着要让每个人都参与进来，包括我们社区的命脉——小企业。”

有意申请延期的零售商可通过新加坡国家环境局 (NEA) 的在线表格进行申请。

BCRS 于 4 月 1 日推出时，引入了六个月的过渡期，以便生产商和零售商有足够的时间逐步用贴有 BCRS 标签的饮料替换他们的库存。

根据该计划，从 10 月 1 日起，所有 150 毫升至 3 升的塑料瓶和罐都必须贴上 10 分的押金标签，否则将不能出售。

根据该计划，顾客每购买一杯饮料需额外支付 10 美分，并将用过的容器投入反向自动售货机（也称为退货机）后取回这笔钱。

自 4 月 1 日以来，已部署了约 1070 台机器，超过 90% 的组屋居民步行五分钟即可到达一台反向自动售货机，此外，大型超市内也设有反向自动售货机。

另有 300 台机器将部署在最初推广区域以外的地区，包括工业园区、高等院校和其他感兴趣的地方。

8 月初，该计划的运营商对用户界面进行了更改，并延长了机器的退款超时时间，以改善客户体验。

该计划已处理超过一百万笔交易，截至 8 月，已退回 550 万个饮料容器。

从 10 月 1 日起，任何人（包括超市经营者）如果供应的受管制饮料容器上没有贴有该计划的押金标记和条形码，都将构成违法行为。