BCRS 10-cent deposit: how to get your Return Right refund

Since 1 October 2026, every regulated pre-packaged drink in a plastic bottle or metal can from 150ml to 3 litres supplied in Singapore must carry the BCRS Deposit Mark, which means you pay a 10-cent deposit on it at the till. You get the 10 cents back by feeding the empty, uncrushed container into a Return Right reverse vending machine and taking the refund on SimplyGo EZ-Link, a concession card or DBS PayLah!. The six-month transition, when marked and unmarked drinks shared the shelves, ended on 30 September.

This guide covers what the deposit applies to, how to stop the machine rejecting your cans, what to do when a refund fails, and how much a household has riding on it. It draws on the National Environment Agency's (NEA) scheme pages and the Environment Minister's written parliamentary replies from September and October 2026.

Which drinks carry the 10-cent deposit?

NEA's consumer page says the deposit applies to all pre-packaged drinks in plastic (PET, PP, HDPE and others) or metal (aluminium or steel) containers of 150ml to 3 litres. That includes water, soft drinks, juices, dairy drinks, cordials and alcohol.

It does not apply to:

• beverage cartons, pouches and glass bottles
• containers under 150ml or over 3 litres
• freshly prepared drinks made and sold on the premises, such as brewed coffee, bubble tea or freshly squeezed juice
• Foods for Special Medical Purposes
• containers not meant for consumption in Singapore, which will not carry the mark

NEA says major supermarkets show drink prices on the shelf without the deposit and add it at checkout, while smaller shops may do things differently. So a carton of 24 cans costs its shelf price plus S$2.40 at the till. If you compare pack sizes with our unit price calculator, leave the deposit out of the price, because you get it back.

How much is riding on it for a household?

An illustrative week for a family of four, using only the 10-cent rule:

1. One carton of 24 canned drinks: S$2.40 in deposits.
2. Six 1.5-litre bottles of water: S$0.60.
3. Four 1-litre plastic bottles of milk: S$0.40.
4. Two 1-litre cartons of juice: nothing, because cartons are excluded.

That is S$3.40 a week, or S$176.80 over 52 weeks if the household returned nothing. Returning 9 in every 10 containers still leaves about S$17.68 a year behind. NEA and the scheme operator say unredeemed deposits may be used by BCRS Ltd to cover the costs of running the scheme, so a deposit you do not reclaim stays with the scheme (NEA and BCRS Ltd's reply of 12 August 2026).

Eating out works differently. At outlets in the Return Right F&B Scheme, which display a Return Right decal, you are not charged the deposit for drinks consumed while dining in, on the understanding that you leave the container behind. At hawker centres and most coffeeshops, NEA says the drink is sold with the deposit and the deposit follows the container, so take it with you if you want the refund (NEA scheme overview).

Why does the machine reject my can?

The minister's 6 October reply gives the main reasons an eligible container is rejected:

• It was crushed. A flattened can or bottle cannot be identified. NEA's consumer page says keep containers intact so the machine can scan the barcode.
• It was not placed properly on the conveyor belt.
• The machine had a fault, occasionally.

The 10 September reply on machine instructions adds that the orientation of the container does not matter as long as you insert containers one at a time. Containers must also be empty: the 6 October reply on public hygiene says there are no plans for liquid disposal points at the machines, and that rummaging through public bins for containers is against the law.

Before you leave home, check the label. Unmarked containers bought before October are not eligible, and NEA suggests putting them in the blue recycling bin instead.

What if my refund does not come through?

The 6 October reply says the share of unsuccessful returns fell from 5% over the first five months to 2% in September, and that a considerable proportion of the failures appears to be due to unfamiliarity with the refund process. If a refund fails, you can use the refund portal BCRS Ltd has rolled out or email BCRS Ltd with the details of the failed transaction.

The 8 September reply sets the timing: BCRS Ltd has committed to refunding valid claims within 30 days of receiving the information it needs, and NEA says it is monitoring failed transactions and refunds. To make a claim easy to check, note:

• the machine's location, and the date and time
• how many containers you returned and how many were credited
• the card or PayLah! account you chose for the refund
• a photo of the machine's screen if it showed an error

Where can I get my money back, and how is it paid?

NEA's scheme pages, last updated on 10 April 2026, say the network would start with over 1,000 machines at larger supermarkets (over 200 square metres), town centres, HDB void decks and some hawker centres, and that the number of return points would double to 2,000 within the first year. The minister's 8 September reply on machine locations says over 90% of HDB residents are within a five-minute walk of one, and that there are no plans to put a machine at every coffeeshop or school canteen. NEA points to returnright.sg for the nearest machine; we could not open it from our desk.

Refunds go to SimplyGo EZ-Link cards, including student and senior concession cards, or to DBS PayLah!. NEA says Singapore citizens and permanent residents can sign up for PayLah! without a DBS or POSB account. Answering a question that raised PayNow, the minister's 6 October reply on refund payment modes said the current methods were chosen for their accessibility and lower transaction costs, and that BCRS Ltd is exploring additional cost-effective refund methods, without naming any.

The same thinking applies to anything else you replace this season: see our guide to the new secure drop-off for old phones and laptops, and the ownership topic for the cost of keeping things running.

Common questions