Key takeaways
- Singapore’s Beverage Container Return Scheme (BCRS) started on 1 April 2026. Pre-packaged beverages in plastic or metal containers from 150ml to 3 litres now carry a 10-cent refundable deposit if they bear the scheme’s Deposit Mark.
- Drinks made and sold on your own premises are exempt. Kopi, bubble tea, fresh juice, and anything else prepared to order at your counter don’t carry the deposit — only pre-packaged bottles and cans you stock (e.g. in a fridge) do.
- Dine-in outlets can apply to collect containers back instead of charging the deposit. The Return Right F&B Scheme (RRFS) lets participating outlets take back empties from dine-in customers, and pays a one-time $500 incentive per outlet — but the Business Grants Portal application closes 30 September 2026.
- Most hawker stalls and coffeeshops are expected to sit outside RRFS. NEA points to the shared, “porous” dining areas and multiple drink stalls in these settings; non-RRFS outlets charge the deposit like any retailer, and customers return empties themselves at an RVM.
- The transition period runs through 30 September 2026. Old stock without the Deposit Mark isn’t eligible for a refund, and full availability of marked containers is only expected around August–September.
If you sell bottled or canned drinks, Singapore’s Beverage Container Return Scheme (BCRS) has already changed what’s on your shelf. Since 1 April 2026, pre-packaged beverages in plastic or metal containers between 150ml and 3 litres carry a 10-cent deposit if marked with the scheme’s Deposit Mark, refundable when the empty is returned to a “Return Right” reverse vending machine (RVM). The good news for most F&B operators: drinks you make yourself — kopi, bubble tea, fresh juice — aren’t covered. The scheme only touches what you’re selling pre-packaged, and dine-in outlets have a separate option that avoids charging the deposit at all. Here’s what actually applies to your counter, and the dates that matter before the transition period closes.
What is the Beverage Container Return Scheme, and when did it start?
BCRS is a national deposit-refund scheme that commenced on 1 April 2026, run under an Extended Producer Responsibility framework by BCRS Ltd., a not-for-profit company licensed by Singapore’s National Environment Agency (NEA). Pre-packaged beverages — water, soft drinks, juices, dairy drinks, cordials, and alcohol — in plastic or metal containers sized 150ml to 3 litres carry a 10-cent deposit and a Deposit Mark. Consumers get the 10 cents back by returning the empty, uncrushed container to a Return Right RVM and claiming the refund via SimplyGo EZ-Link or DBS PayLah. At launch, NEA deployed over 1,000 RVMs, aiming for more than 90% of HDB households within a five-minute walk, with the network doubling to 2,000 points within the scheme’s first year; the network is being sited at larger supermarkets, town centres, HDB void decks, and select hawker centres to hit that walking-distance target.
Does the 10-cent deposit apply to your kopi, bubble tea, or fresh juice?
No. NEA’s own scope for the scheme explicitly excludes drinks made and sold on the same premises — freshly prepared herbal drinks, freshly brewed coffee or tea, freshly squeezed juice, and bubble tea, whether served at a hawker stall, kopitiam, or café. It also excludes drinks prepared at a central F&B establishment for sale by the same food business operator for operational expediency, containers smaller than 150ml or larger than 3 litres, beverage cartons, pouches and glass, and foods for special medical purposes. In practice, the deposit only touches the pre-packaged bottled or canned drinks you stock and sell as-is — a fridge of soft drinks or bottled water, for instance — not anything you prepare yourself.
What’s the difference between an RRFS outlet and a non-RRFS outlet?
For outlets that do sell BCRS-regulated bottles or cans, NEA has set up two paths, detailed on its dedicated page for F&B operators. A non-RRFS outlet sells the regulated beverage with the 10-cent deposit added, exactly like a supermarket or convenience store, and leaves it to the customer to return the empty at an RVM to reclaim the deposit. NEA expects most hawker stalls and coffeeshops to fall into this category, since take-back arrangements are harder to manage where dining areas are shared and several drink stalls operate in the same space. A Return Right F&B (RRFS) outlet instead collects the empty container back itself when a customer finishes their drink at the table — either by serving the drink in a cup or glass without handing over the container, or by handing over the container with the understanding that the customer leaves it behind after finishing — and does not charge the customer the 10-cent deposit at all.
Should your dine-in outlet sign up for the Return Right F&B Scheme?
It depends on whether you can realistically manage take-back at your tables. To join RRFS, NEA requires an outlet to (a) hold a valid SFA food shop licence, (b) have dine-in arrangements, and (c) sell BCRS-regulated beverages in the 150ml–3L range. Sign-up is open any time via NEA’s online form. The incentive for doing the extra work is a one-time $500 payment per participating outlet, claimed through the Business Grants Portal after signing up — but that application must be filed by 30 September 2026. If your dining area is shared with other stalls, or you can’t practically guarantee empties come back to you rather than to a bin or another operator’s table, non-RRFS (charging the deposit, letting customers return it themselves) is the more realistic default, and NEA has consumer collateral available to help explain that to your customers too.
What do you need to do right now, during the transition period?
The scheme is running a transition period from 1 April to 30 September 2026, extended from an original three months to six, precisely because marked stock is entering the market gradually — NEA expects widespread availability of Deposit Mark containers only by August or September. Old stock without the mark isn’t eligible for a refund, which means your fridge may currently hold a mix of deposit and non-deposit bottles of the same product. Major supermarket chains have agreed to show shelf prices excluding the 10-cent deposit and add it only at checkout, for pricing clarity; NEA notes smaller retailers may handle this differently, so if you’re a non-RRFS outlet selling bottled drinks, deciding now how you’ll display and ring up the deposit at your own point of sale avoids confusing customers as marked stock becomes the norm.
What happens after 30 September 2026?
Two deadlines converge on that date. First, the transition period ends, so by then essentially all eligible pre-packaged beverages in the market should carry the Deposit Mark and the 10-cent charge, with no more legacy unmarked stock to account for. Second, it’s the closing date for RRFS outlets to submit their one-time $500 incentive application via the Business Grants Portal — sign-up for RRFS itself has no stated deadline, but the incentive payment does. Operators who haven’t yet decided whether take-back is workable for their dining area should treat late September as the point past which that $500 is off the table, not just a soft target.
Frequently asked questions
Does the BCRS deposit apply to bubble tea, kopi, or fresh juice made on-site?
No. NEA’s scheme explicitly excludes drinks freshly prepared and sold on the same premises, including kopitiam coffee or tea, bubble tea, and freshly squeezed juice. The 10-cent deposit only applies to pre-packaged bottled or canned beverages you stock and sell as-is.
What size and type of containers carry the 10-cent deposit?
Pre-packaged beverages in plastic or metal containers from 150ml to 3 litres (inclusive), bearing the BCRS Deposit Mark. Beverage cartons, pouches, and glass containers are excluded, as are containers below 150ml or above 3 litres.
What is the RRFS $500 incentive, and how do I apply?
It’s a one-time $500 payment per outlet for dine-in F&B operators who sign up to collect back beverage containers instead of charging the deposit. Sign up via NEA’s RRFS form, then apply for the payment through the Business Grants Portal by 30 September 2026.
I run a hawker stall — do I have to collect empty bottles back myself?
Not necessarily. NEA expects most hawker stalls and coffeeshops to operate as non-RRFS outlets, given shared dining areas and multiple drink stalls. You simply charge the 10-cent deposit like a retailer, and customers return the empties themselves at a Return Right RVM.
Will the 10-cent deposit show on my shelf price or only at checkout?
Major supermarkets have agreed to display shelf prices excluding the deposit and add it at checkout. NEA notes smaller retailers and F&B outlets may handle this differently, so deciding your own pricing display now helps avoid confusing customers as marked stock becomes standard.
