New ‘reverse vending machine’ takes in drink cans and plastic bottles, spits out money and coupons

Screengrab from video
Screengrab from video

In an aim to encourage Singaporeans to recycle, a high-tech vending machine is making a comeback. Instead of dispensing food, drinks, or lifestyle items like dried floral bouquets, the “reverse vending machine” takes in empty drink cans and plastic bottles — in exchange, it doles out money or F&B coupons.

In collaboration with beer producer Asia Pacific Breweries (APB) Singapore, the Foodfare food court in Admiralty displays the vending machine, which gives out a 20-cent discount coupon at the food court for every APB Singapore can recycled, and a 10-cent coupon for other cans or bottles. This incentive by APB Singapore will last till the end of next month.

More than 1,000 bottles and cans have been recycled at Admiralty since its launch last month, although ST noted that the machine jams up at times due to people incorrectly inserting the items or putting in more than one at a time.

Here’s how it works.

The sole machine by local firm Incon Green Singapore is just the first — the distributor plans to install 500 more across Singapore over the next five years, placing them in food courts, shopping malls, schools, office building and supermarkets, reported The Straits Times.

Cash rebates of three cents per can or bottle will be given out for the other machines, and Incon Green eventually wants to be able to credit the money to consumers’ ez-link cards.

The company — which has joined forces with Chinese firms Incom Recycle and Incom Tomra Recycling Technology (Beijing) — is discussing its future plans with 25 organizations, including the Singapore Zoo and the Singapore Sports School.

In Singapore, local waste-management firms purchase about 1kg of PET (polyethylene terephthalate) plastic bottles for five cents, and the same weight of drink cans for 20 cents. All these are sold to overseas recycling companies.

But if you recall, similar machines tried and failed in their earlier attempts to get Singaporeans going green. As early as 2009, supermarket chain NTUC FairPrice displayed three machines at its outlets, but they’ve since been removed. There was also one such machine outside a cinema in 2013, placed there by waste-management firm Wah & Hua, but it ended up becoming a platform for vandalism after a while.

Incon Green is also working towards getting firms to lease or buy the machines, which cost more than S$13,500 (US$10,000) each. At least it’s got the National Environment Agency on its side — the authority said it welcomes ground-up initiatives that promote the segregation and recycling of recyclables.



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