BCRS 10-Cent Return Logo Spotted On Drink In JB — Can You Bring It Back To S'pore For A Refund?

Singaporeans love going to JB for cheaper groceries, petrol and makan.

But could we soon add drink bottles bearing Singapore's Beverage Container Return Scheme (BCRS) Deposit Mark to the list?

That’s what a Singaporean recently spotted at a convenience store in Johor Bahru.

Yes, the little logo that tells you an eligible bottle can be returned for a 10-cent refund in Singapore.

According to a Facebook post, the bottled beverage in question was selling for RM2.60 (S$0.80). 

“Will admin make some money from BCRS if buy from JB?" asked the OP.

"RM2.60 only but have to bring back to Singapore to claim S$0.10 unless here have BCRS bin,” they added.

Can meh?

For those who haven't been paying attention to the new logos appearing on their drinks lately (how could you not?), Singapore's BCRS places a 10-cent refundable deposit on eligible pre-packaged beverages in plastic and metal containers.

From October 1 (Thurs), regulated beverage products supplied in Singapore must carry the BCRS Deposit Mark, with the 10-cent deposit collected when an eligible drink is purchased here.

Finish your drink, return the eligible empty container to a Return Right machine, and you get your 10 cents back.

But seeing the Singapore return mark on a drink being sold across the Causeway raises an obvious question.

If you didn't pay the 10-cent deposit because you bought the drink in Malaysia, could you still bring the empty container back to Singapore and collect 10 cents?

One netizen immediately saw the potential, writing "I saw 'SG Return’. That means person can collect empty bottle with BCRS logo and come SG to do 'part-time salary'?"

Another commenter claimed someone had already attempted something similar.

"There was a news recently. A guy bought the BCRS logo drink from JB, the machine rejected," they wrote.

Another netizen suggested the barcode could be the reason.

"If the barcode meant for Malaysia sale is not registered in our Singapore BCRS system, sure will get rejected," they wrote.

8days.sg reached out to BCRS and bad news for anyone already calculating their potential 10-cent earnings.

BCRS also clarified that this applies only to eligible beverages retailed in Singapore.

The 10-cent deposit is collected at the cashier or point of sale when an eligible beverage is purchased here.

And here's the important part: A BCRS logo alone doesn't entitle you to a refund.

According to BCRS, containers purchased overseas are not eligible for the 10-cent deposit refund, even if they carry the BCRS Deposit Mark due to supplier mislabelling.

That's because Return Right machines don't simply spot the logo give out 10 cents blindly.  Each container cross-check every container against a live database of registered containers in Singapore.

"Simply printing the BCRS Deposit Mark on an unregistered or overseas product will not allow a deposit refund, protecting the scheme's funds from fraudulent claims," said BCRS.

But the question is, why was a drink carrying Singapore's BCRS Deposit Mark being sold in JB in the first place?

In a response to 8days.sg, BCRS says that they do not speculate on individual products or purchases without first verifying the specific barcode and product details.