10-cent beverage deposit: F&B outlets get clearer guidelines, supermarkets to add charge at checkout

SINGAPORE: Food and beverage outlets have been given clearer guidelines on how to handle the new S$0.10 (US$0.07) deposit on drinks, ahead of the Beverage Container Return Scheme (BCRS) launching on Apr 1.

Under the guidelines, operators can take one of two approaches. 

Dine-in restaurants and food shops that collect beverage containers consumed on their premises may opt not to charge customers the deposit at all. Those that do charge it should allow customers to take the container and claim a refund when they return it. 

For supermarkets, major operators have agreed to display drink prices on shelves without the deposit, reflecting the charge separately at checkout. Authorities said they will work with smaller retailers that may adopt different pricing approaches to ensure transparent pricing for consumers.

The updates were announced by Senior Minister of State for Sustainability and the Environment Janil Puthucheary on Tuesday (Mar 3), as he outlined his ministry's spending plans for the year.

Under the BCRS, consumers pay a refundable 10-cent deposit when buying pre-packaged drinks in plastic bottles or metal cans ranging from 150ml to 3L – covering more than 1 billion containers used in Singapore each year.

Eligible containers will carry a new BCRS deposit mark, making it easy for consumers to identify which drinks come with the charge.

From Apr 1, containers bearing the mark can be returned at more than 1,000 reverse vending machines across Singapore. The number of return points will double within the first year. Cans without the deposit mark cannot be returned through these machines.

Refunds will be credited to EZ-Link cards, concession cards or DBS PayLah! wallets.

The scheme operates under the Extended Producer Responsibility framework, requiring producers to take responsibility for the beverage containers they bring to market and ensure they are collected and recycled.

Under the scheme, 16,000 tonnes of material is expected to be recovered for recycling every year, Dr Puthucheary said. He added that the scheme will launch with the name "Return Right".

"Through Return Right, we hope that Singaporeans will also become more mindful of the packaging they consume, dispose of waste properly to keep our shared spaces clean and practise good recycling habits, which will reduce the contamination in our blue recycling bins," he added.

About 800 companies have registered – or are in the process of registering – for the scheme, accounting for more than 95 per cent of market volume, said the National Environment Agency (NEA).

Producers and retailers will have a six-month transition period from Apr 1 to Sep 30 to clear existing stock that does not carry the deposit mark. Containers with the mark will enter the market progressively during this period.

A Producer Transition Grant of up to S$2,500 is available to producers who register before Apr 1, 2026, to help offset product registration and producer fees.

RETURN RIGHT SCHEME

Dine-in establishments that choose not to charge customers the deposit can join the Return Right F&B scheme. These outlets may either serve drinks in cups, or in containers on the understanding that customers leave them behind after finishing.

Participating food establishments will be issued a decal to help customers identify them.

NEA will provide a one-time support payment of S$500 per food shop upon application.

F&B outlets that do not join this scheme should charge the 10-cent deposit. NEA said this option may be more suitable for hawker centres and coffee shops, where collecting containers from customers can be more challenging.

Dr Puthucheary said that most coffee shops at Housing Board blocks will be within a five-minute walk from a reverse vending machine. For hawker centres, the vending machine will be placed either within the premises or a short distance away.