Marine Parade-Braddell Heights Town Council says conservancy workers depositing drink containers at BCRS machine were off-duty

SINGAPORE: A TikTok video showing two conservancy workers placing beverage cans and bottles into Return Right machines recently went viral, with the post author asking why the workers were allowed to receive refund money.

The Beverage Container Return Scheme was introduced earlier this year as part of the effort to reduce waste and encourage recycling, and Singapore is far from the first country to have such a national programme. However, as with any initiative requiring a change of habit, there have been some issues ranging from questions about hygiene to whether people are actually allowed to take beverage containers from rubbish bins.

In the TikTok video, @jiatong888 addressed Tin Pei Ling, the Member of Parliament representing MacPherson at Marine Parade-Bradell Heights GRC, saying that it was the second time he had witnessed conservancy workers doing this and decided to post a video about it. 

In a Facebook post on Nov 1, the Marine Parade-Braddell Heights Town Council addressed the issue, saying it was aware of the concerns raised over the video and thanking members of the public who had shared feedback.

It added, “To clarify, the workers were depositing containers from their own purchases, with some also given to them directly by residents. They were also doing so after their working hours.”

The post added that the workers are not permitted to rummage through refuse or recycling bins to retrieve recyclable beverage containers. Minister for Sustainability and the Environment Grace Fu underlined in Parliament last month that doing so would be illegal for everyone.

The Town Council added that in relation to the incident in the TikTok video, conservancy workers have been reminded to follow the Town Council’s operational guidelines as well as advised not to wear their work uniforms outside working hours when they use the Refund Right machines “to avoid any misunderstanding that they are doing so in their capacity as Town Council’s appointed workers.”

The post underlined the importance of the workers in keeping surroundings clean, but added, “They are also members of our community, and we hope residents can understand that they may participate in the recycling scheme in their own time, just like everyone else.” /TISG

Read also: Singaporeans divided after Grace Fu says rummaging through public bins for BCRS containers is illegal