THE BROAD VIEW
Singapore recycles, but are we actually recovering enough?
Why the Beverage Container Return Scheme – South-east Asia’s first of its kind – is key to closing the gap
FOR a land-scarce nation with rising waste volumes, Singapore’s Zero Waste Nation ambition is critical for its long-term resilience.
The country disposed of 3.36 million tonnes of waste in 2025, up from 3.02 million tonnes a decade earlier. Even as waste volumes climb, overall recovery is not keeping pace, resulting in a lower recycling rate than 10 years ago.
This makes the Beverage Container Return Scheme (BCRS), South-east Asia’s first nationwide deposit return scheme, an important step.
