Singaporeans disagree with Facebook user who called adult & child going through dustbin looking for BCRS containers a 'worrying problem’
SINGAPORE: Over the weekend, a Facebook user posted a photo of an adult and child appearing to rummage through a dustbin, which they described as a “worrying problem.”
The post author put the photo up on the Complaint Singapore page on Saturday (Oct 3). They assumed that the people in the picture are a father and son who were looking for bottles and cans wth the BCRS label, as these can be returned in exchange for a deposit.
Over the past weeks, there have been stories of people making good money from collecting refunds under Singapore’s beverage container return scheme.
“This young kid's and maybe many others’ weekend late nites are spent digging thru dustbins instead of resting or just enjoying his childhood playing with other kids,” the post author wrote, adding, “Not forgetting the world just went through COVID. There are tons of bacteria and nasty stuff inside dustbins.”
They also wrote that children do not have immune systems, and that if they fall ill, they can spread diseases to others when they go to school.
“This will be a national disaster waiting to happen again,” they added.
The alarmist post notwithstanding, many other countries operate bottle refund schemes similar to Singapore’s, including Germany, Norway, and Denmark. South Korea and Taiwan also have sophisticated deposit return schemes, and many other countries have scaled-down versions. Such programmes have been shown to be very effective at boosting recycling rates and reducing waste.
While the post author was arguably well-meaning, many commenters on the post pretty much advised them to mind their own business.
“It’s fine; the only problem starts when someone takes a photo. Lol,” one wrote.
“You will never know other people's struggles and challenges. Stop judging,” added another.
A netizen agreed, adding, “That extra few dollars a night might be a matter of whether food is on the table.”
“We do not know what the family condition is… maybe the parents are poor. And this is one way they can ‘teach’ their kids to find ways to earn money. Why do you bother with what they do? There are low-income earners within Singapore. You just don't see them out on the street,” a third chimed in.
“If done in a proper way... this could be the best way to teach that money is not easy to earn. Walking many miles, going from bin to bin, putting them into a recycling machine and receiving the payouts,” one pointed out.
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“Let’s respect their privacy and simply mind our own business,” a Facebook user wrote.
One parent shared: “My son is so excited to count how many cans he has collected over two weeks. He told me he can get $1.30! It’s not that he needs the money. It’s the excitement of collecting cans and getting a little reward at the end. Sometimes, it’s not about the money, but the fun of earning it!” /TISG