Beverage Container Return Scheme

Singapore's National Environment Agency has exempted the Singapore Grand Prix 2026 Circuit Park from collecting the 10-cent deposit under the Beverage Container Return Scheme. The exemption means drinks sold within the circuit park area during the event will not carry the refundable deposit. It is a practical carve-out for the Formula 1 race weekend, and the scheme otherwise requires retailers and vendors to charge and refund deposits on covered beverage containers.

Singapore has opened a new sorting facility as it prepares for the full rollout of its Deposit Return Scheme, which lets consumers redeem deposits when returning used beverage containers. The facility will handle collection and processing of bottles and cans at scale, forming key infrastructure for the recycling programme ahead of its nationwide launch.

Singapore's Beverage Container Return Scheme recorded a 98 percent on-the-spot refund rate in September, Sustainability Minister Grace Fu told Parliament. The figure covers refunds processed at reverse vending machines and retail points under the scheme, which requires deposits on drink bottles and cans. Discussion is unfolding alongside questions about scheme rules and exemptions around the Singapore Grand Prix period.

The Hawai'i Department of Health announced changes to its deposit beverage container program, which affects the redemption rates paid on bottles and cans returned under the state's recycling scheme. The update touches consumers, retailers and recyclers across the islands, though the department has not detailed the exact rate changes or their timing in the initial announcement.