Fans heading to the Formula 1 Singapore Grand Prix will not be forced to participate in Singapore's new beverage container return scheme, as drinks sold inside the Marina Bay Street Circuit Park will not carry the usual 10-cent deposit.
Here's what to know
According to The Straits Times, after the beverage container return rollout on October 1, Singapore's National Environment Agency granted the exception for the duration of the race from October 9 to 11 on beverages sold within the Circuit Park because of the event's "scale and nature."
Under the system used nationwide, buyers are charged an extra 10 cents for drinks sold in plastic bottles or metal cans ranging from 5.1 fluid ounces (150 milliliters) to 101 fluid ounces (3 liters). That money can be recovered by returning the empty container to a collection unit called a Return Right machine.
The exemption is limited to the Grand Prix and does not suspend the program across the rest of the country.
More background
Since October 1, regulated beverages sold in Singapore have been required to carry the official 10-cent deposit mark and barcode on the container.
That requirement is enforced under the Resource Sustainability Act. Anyone convicted of supplying regulated beverages without the required mark and barcode, including supermarket operators, can be fined up to $10,000 and/or jailed for up to three months.
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More than 1,000 collection machines were operating by April 1, and the National Environment Agency gave producers and retailers another six months to clear older stock before the transition period ended on September 30.
What's being done?
Singapore GP said the special arrangement covers drinks sold inside the Marina Bay Street Circuit Park only.
The promoter said it would send push notifications through the SGP mobile app to inform visitors. The National Environment Agency also said notices would appear at food and beverage outlets and at SGP Grid Bars within the Circuit Park.
"Visitors will not be charged the 10-cent deposit, and they should deposit their empty beverage bottles at the recycling bins set up within the Circuit Park for recycling," The National Environment Agency noted.
Where can I learn more?
Companies and cities are trying to cut drink-container waste through recycling, reuse, and return incentives.
• Across Nashville, Coca-Cola expanded plastic-waste reduction efforts at sports venues and theme parks.
• In the U.K., Coca-Cola installed reverse vending machines at theme parks to reward recycling.
• In Aarhus, Denmark, officials launched a citywide reusable cup trial to curb takeaway waste.
• In Australia, grocery stores adopted a glass bottle cash-back policy that rewards returns.
• In Cambridge, England, officials proposed reverse vending machines that pay residents for returned containers.
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