TOMRA has launched the TOMRA B3, a reverse vending machine occupying 0.45 square metres, in the UK ahead of the country's deposit return scheme. The machine accepts PET bottles and metal cans and is aimed at convenience retailers with limited floor space. Exchange for Change, the scheme operator, has said retailers using automated collection will receive a higher handling fee.
Why this mattersA smaller-footprint reverse vending machine lowers the barrier for small-format retailers to join automated DRS collection, widening the collection network ahead of the UK scheme's 2027 launch.
- TOMRA B3 occupies 0.45 square metres of floor space and is available on wheels.
- The UK deposit return scheme starts in October 2027 with a refundable deposit of USD 0.27 (GBP 0.20) on eligible plastic bottles and cans.
- The machine identifies containers using barcode recognition, weight detection and image-based recognition.
- Exchange for Change will pay retailers a handling fee per container collected, with a higher fee for automated collection.
- The machine is making its UK debut at the RWM resource and waste management expo in Birmingham this week.
- Exchange for Change has separately announced intended producer fees for the scheme.
Singapore's Beverage Container Return Scheme (BCRS) has opened a robotic Counting and Sorting Facility in Tuas, operated jointly by scheme operator BCRS Ltd and waste collector Cora Environment. The automated line, launched 21 September 2026 after starting up in August, sorts six material types from returned cans and bottles and aims to lift the country's container return rate to 60% within a year and 80% within three years, recovering over 16,000 tonnes annually once fully operational from October.
Why this mattersA national deposit-return infrastructure investment signals rising demand for recycled PET, aluminium and steel feedstock across Southeast Asia's packaging value chain.
- The BCRS Counting and Sorting Facility in Tuas, run by BCRS Ltd and waste collector Cora Environment, was officially launched on 21 September 2026 after starting operations in August
- Since April 2026 the scheme collected around 33m containers via 1,300 reverse vending machines, refunding 10 cents digitally per container
- Between August and 13 September the facility processed about 27.5m used bottles and cans, five times the prior rate
- Once fully operational from October, BCRS is expected to recover more than 1bn beverage containers and over 16,000 tonnes of material annually
- The scheme targets a 60% container return rate within one year and 80% within three years, against a household recycling rate that fell to an all-time low of 11% in 2024-2025
- The 2,000 sq m facility is Singapore's first able to sort six material types, including aluminium, steel and PET, on a single automated line
