Singapore Increases Its Plastic Bottle Refund System
by : Chris Bolt |
Published: October 4, 2020
The idea of paying a deposit on drink bottles is not new, but Singapore has taken further steps to make recycling and reusing plastic bottles a lot easier.
The idea of paying a deposit on drink bottles is not new, but Singapore has taken further steps to make recycling and reusing plastic bottles a lot easier.
The country has added 34 more reverse vending machines to make it easier for people to reduce their impact on the environment.
Similar to a can recycling machine, these plastic bottle machines will pay you for returning your waste.
The Straits Times has published some numbers about how well this system is working.
“The NEA noted that since the launch of the ‘reverse’ vending machines last October, more than 2.4 million plastic bottles and aluminium cans have been collected.
The deposit refund scheme is part of a programme that makes manufacturers of products responsible for the end-of-life collection and treatment of the items. It targets the management of electronic and packaging waste.”
Now there’s still an uphill battle to conquer the 930,000 tons of annual plastic waste because only 4% is recycled.
But with plastic bottles making up a large portion of that waste, this should bring Singapore closer to becoming less reliant on their only landfill site, which could be full by 2035.
That might just be the right pressure they need to tackle the problem.
Chris is one of GreenCitizen’s writers who has been a long-time advocate of individual responsibility when it comes to the environment. He shares GreenCitizen's passion for making the world a better place every day of the year.
Business & Policies ,
Singapore Increases Its Plastic Bottle Refund System
by : Chris Bolt | Published: October 4, 2020
The idea of paying a deposit on drink bottles is not new, but Singapore has taken further steps to make recycling and reusing plastic bottles a lot easier.
The idea of paying a deposit on drink bottles is not new, but Singapore has taken further steps to make recycling and reusing plastic bottles a lot easier.
The country has added 34 more reverse vending machines to make it easier for people to reduce their impact on the environment.
Similar to a can recycling machine, these plastic bottle machines will pay you for returning your waste.
The Straits Times has published some numbers about how well this system is working.
“The NEA noted that since the launch of the ‘reverse’ vending machines last October, more than 2.4 million plastic bottles and aluminium cans have been collected.
The deposit refund scheme is part of a programme that makes manufacturers of products responsible for the end-of-life collection and treatment of the items. It targets the management of electronic and packaging waste.”
Now there’s still an uphill battle to conquer the 930,000 tons of annual plastic waste because only 4% is recycled.
But with plastic bottles making up a large portion of that waste, this should bring Singapore closer to becoming less reliant on their only landfill site, which could be full by 2035.
That might just be the right pressure they need to tackle the problem.
Chris Bolt
Chris is one of GreenCitizen’s writers who has been a long-time advocate of individual responsibility when it comes to the environment. He shares GreenCitizen's passion for making the world a better place every day of the year.
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