Retailers slash prices on drinks like beer, tea without Return Right logo

With more than two weeks to go before the full implementation of the Beverage Container Return Scheme (BCRS), some retailers and distributors here are selling drink containers that do not carry the requisite Return Right logo at discounts of up to 50 per cent.Under the scheme, all plastic bottles and cans from 150ml to 3 litres must be labelled with the 10-cent deposit mark from Oct 1, or they cannot be sold.Customers pay an extra 10 cents for each drink purchased under the scheme, but get the money back when they drop the used containers into a reverse vending machine, also called a Return Right machine.More than 1,000 machines became operational on April 1, but the National Environment Agency, which is administering the scheme, gave producers and retailers an extra six months to clear old stock. The transition period will end on Sept 30.From Oct 1, it will be an offence for anyone, including supermarket operators, to supply any regulated beverage if the container is not affixed with the scheme’s deposit mark and a barcode.