Timbre Group could scrap deposits when tray returning ‘becomes a habit’

SINGAPORE — Timbre Group, a food and beverage (F&B) firm which pioneered the tray return system in Singapore, is looking to “slowly withdraw” the deposit that customers currently pay for the trays, it told TODAY.

This will be done once it is “confident that patrons have cultivated the habit and also see (its) social benefits”, it added in response to queries on Wednesday (Jan 31).

Meanwhile, another firm which has installed such a system at the Marsiling Mall Hawker Centre said separately it is keen to explore integrating electronic payments with the system, amid concerns that its adoption at more hawker centres across the island could hinder Singapore’s efforts to go cashless.

The system currently dispenses coins when it returns the deposits to customers. On Tuesday, TODAY reported that some observers and experts felt that its possible rollout to as many as 25 hawker centres seemed at odds with the Republic’s cashless drive, and could be “slightly confusing” to the average customer.

Timbre has implemented a tray return system — which makes use of radio frequency identification — at its Timbre+ hawker centre in one-north, and the Yishun Park Hawker Centre. The company’s spokesperson said that its hawker centre at one-north, which opened in April 2016, has a 97 per cent tray return rate within its first year of operations. “We believe self-tray return is a form of social graciousness. Tray deposit is a (way to) kick-start Singaporeans to adopt this behaviour and through their gesture, (they will) understand (that) it contributes to a cleaner dining environment for all patrons,” the spokesperson said.

The spokesperson reiterated that Timbre “embraced the cashless vision”, with the launch of apps which allow for e-payments at its hawker centres. Other cashless payment options such as Nets and Alipay are also accepted by selected hawkers and food partners in both premises. At the Yishun Park Hawker Centre, for example, more than 40 per cent of the payment transactions are done via the app.

For customers using e-payment at Timbre’s hawker centres, the tray deposits are included in the amounts paid to the stallholders. After returning their trays, customers will get their deposits back in the form of coins.

“Going cashless provides a swift and convenient transaction experience for both patrons and hawkers,” said the Timbre spokesperson, noting that it helps to save time during peak hours. “With the penetration of smartphones getting higher and the ease of usage, we are expecting more patrons to adopt cashless payments at our establishments,” she added.

On Monday, it was announced that Marsiling Mall Hawker Centre and the refurbished hawker centre at Block 163 Bukit Merah will charge cash tray deposits of S$0.50 and S$1 respectively.

Cleaning contractor Clean Solutions, which installed and maintains the tray return system at the Marsiling Mall Hawker Centre, said it will explore with its supplier the idea of cashless tray return systems.

The firm’s sales director Sunny Khoo felt that the objective of cashless payments is to help stallholders handle less cash. In that regard, the returning of trays is a separate issue. Nevertheless, he acknowledged that it will be ideal to integrate e-payments into the whole process. “This sounds like a good concept,” he said.