For some, empty drink bottles and cans are trash. For one man, they could be worth a little extra cash.
A TikTok user recently shared a video of himself feeding bottles and cans into a Beverage Container Return Scheme (BCRS) return machine in Tampines.
Posted by a TikTok user who goes by Arnel on Saturday (Sept 5), the video showed him taking the containers out of a large trash bag before inserting them into the machine.
Several large bags filled with bottles and cans could be seen surrounding him as he worked through his haul.
"Good morning, 10 cents," he captioned the video.
In response to AsiaOne, Arnel shared that he collects these cans at night at his dormitory.
"A lot my fellow foreign workers drink beer...after drinking, they just leave the cans," Arnel said.
"So, I decided to collect because I want to help [the] Government [keep] our environment clean."
The 40-year-old added that he had collected almost $80 worth of returns.
The video drew largely supportive reactions, with some users saying there was nothing wrong with collecting discarded containers for the deposit refunds.
One commenter wrote that since "people are so lazy to return them", those willing to go the extra mile to collect them should be allowed to earn from the returns.
Another encouraged him not to feel ashamed, saying that "nothing is wrong" with collecting the containers to make some money while recycling.
It appears this was not his first time collecting and returning containers.
Arnel told AsiaOne that he had been collecting cans since mid-July this year.
An earlier video posted on Aug 26 also showed him bringing bottles and cans to a BCRS machine, with the same large trash bag filled with more cans and bottles collected.
And in a separate video, he demonstrated one of the cans repeatedly being rejected by a BCRS machine.
Despite the can bearing the BCRS logo, it appeared to have trouble being accepted by the machine and was repeatedly pushed back out.
The man eventually gave the machine a thumbs-down gesture.
@asiaone A man claimed his three bags of bottles and cans added up to about $80 at a Beverage Container Return Scheme (BCRS) machine. Trash to cash, Singapore style ♻️. #sgnews #Singapore #Recycling #BCRS ♬ original sound - AsiaOne
Since the BCRS launched in April, about 5.5 million bottles and cans have been recycled through the scheme, Senior Minister of State for Sustainability and the Environment Janil Puthucheary said in Parliament on Aug 5.
More than one million successful refunds have also been made, with each eligible container worth a 10-cent refund.
The number is expected to grow as more BCRS-labelled beverages enter the market.
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