New Tuas sorting facility collects 33m bottles and cans for recycling in under 2 months
The Beverage Container Return Scheme is expected to recover more than 1 billion beverage containers used each year.
Singapore's new Tuas sorting facility has collected an astonishing 33 million bottles and cans for recycling within just two months of its operation. The facility, which officially launched on September 21, is part of the Beverage Container Return Scheme (BCRS) that requires customers to pay an extra 10 cents for each drink and receive the money back when they deposit used containers into reverse vending machines.
The facility utilizes advanced sorting machines to empty metal and plastic containers, separating them in four different types using infrared light. Magnets separate some metal containers from the plastic ones, which are then sucked through pipes and further separated based on material type. Manual labor is not required for sorting recyclables, and around 40 percent of contaminants are discarded automatically.
The BCRS facility, located within Cora Environment's material recovery center, is a first-of-its-kind in Singapore capable of sorting six material types on a single automated line, including aluminum, steel, and PET. So far, 55% of the materials collected are plastics, while the remaining 45% are metal. Once sorted, the materials are compressed into bales and sold to recyclers, with revenue used to fund the BCRS.
The scheme aims to recover over one billion beverage containers each year by 2026, with a goal of reaching an 80% return rate for bottles and cans within three years.
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