Tethered Bottle Caps?
Discussion
World problems aside...
Bottles now have tethered caps. What problem did/does this solve?
A quick search to see if there was maybe a choking incident (like when a kid tragically choked on a bread tab many years ago) reveals nothing of the sort. The new caps are designed to stay connected to the bottle after opening so that the whole packaging can be recycled.
Have I missed the errant bottle cap problem? At first I thought it was the manufacturers making the caps smaller and the mould wasn't releasing the formed cap as well as it once used to. But it's an EU directive which will come into effect in July this year.
"...closures on non-returnable PET bottles holding up to three liters must be firmly attached to the container. The aim is to recycle the caps together with the bottles and thus avoid environmental pollution caused by loose closures."
Plastic packaging is the problem. Convenience to use it, cost to produce it and demand for what's carried in it has propagated the problem. We stopped relying on free plastic carrier bags to carry produce (individually packaged in plastic) home, and whilst it appears to have made a significant change, it hasn't really solved the issue. You can still buy a peeled orange (FFS) which comes in a sealed plastic box.
In Holland customers can take their empty beer bottles to the supermarket and get money off their next purchase. I remember when we used to do something like that here with Corona bottles. It's an incentive but more emphasis should be placed on onus. The manufacturer being made to redesign bottles with tethered caps keeps them selling their product to their customers, but it's not enough to tackle the problem. Many households will dispose of many plastic bottles and tubs on a daily/weekly basis, but once it's in the bin - and the bin lid is shut - it's no longer their problem.
Not sure what the solution is, but tethering caps to bottles isn't going to save the planet.
Bottles now have tethered caps. What problem did/does this solve?
A quick search to see if there was maybe a choking incident (like when a kid tragically choked on a bread tab many years ago) reveals nothing of the sort. The new caps are designed to stay connected to the bottle after opening so that the whole packaging can be recycled.
Have I missed the errant bottle cap problem? At first I thought it was the manufacturers making the caps smaller and the mould wasn't releasing the formed cap as well as it once used to. But it's an EU directive which will come into effect in July this year.
"...closures on non-returnable PET bottles holding up to three liters must be firmly attached to the container. The aim is to recycle the caps together with the bottles and thus avoid environmental pollution caused by loose closures."
Plastic packaging is the problem. Convenience to use it, cost to produce it and demand for what's carried in it has propagated the problem. We stopped relying on free plastic carrier bags to carry produce (individually packaged in plastic) home, and whilst it appears to have made a significant change, it hasn't really solved the issue. You can still buy a peeled orange (FFS) which comes in a sealed plastic box.
In Holland customers can take their empty beer bottles to the supermarket and get money off their next purchase. I remember when we used to do something like that here with Corona bottles. It's an incentive but more emphasis should be placed on onus. The manufacturer being made to redesign bottles with tethered caps keeps them selling their product to their customers, but it's not enough to tackle the problem. Many households will dispose of many plastic bottles and tubs on a daily/weekly basis, but once it's in the bin - and the bin lid is shut - it's no longer their problem.
Not sure what the solution is, but tethering caps to bottles isn't going to save the planet.
The fact someone somewhere dreams up these stupid ideas to solve a problem that doesn't exist is frustrating. As already said the answer to this issue is to get rid of the majority of plastic packaging through alternative materials be it glass, tin foil or paper or get rid of the need (peeled or small pots of fruit are a fantastic example). Making existing packaging no less polluting but much more annoying is not the answer.
Goaty Bill 2 said:
I squash the bottles as flat as possible and then tighten the cap to retain the 'vacuum'. They take up far less space in the recycle bin that way.
I do this too. because engineer and common sense and stuffWife and kids don't.
Consequently drives me mad having to empty the kitchen recycle bin every day.
Silvanus said:
Baldchap said:
The bottles tend to make it into appropriate waste processing whereas the caps do not.
This, it's to make sure the bottle cap, along with the bottle, ends up recycled too. The caps, more often than not, end up in general waste.Now if the argument was it was to try to stop urban scum taking the top off and throwing it on the ground whilst they drank the rest of the bottle, then I might believe it, but recycling, nope that's too far of a stretch.
Silvanus said:
Baldchap said:
The bottles tend to make it into appropriate waste processing whereas the caps do not.
This, it's to make sure the bottle cap, along with the bottle, ends up recycled too. The caps, more often than not, end up in general waste.A scrote who throws a bottle out their car window gives even less of a s
t if the cap is (it stays) attached. This way in the off chance someone picks up the bottle that has been littered, it'll still have the cap with it.
Glassman said:
World problems aside...
Bottles now have tethered caps. What problem did/does this solve?
In Holland customers can take their empty beer bottles to the supermarket and get money off their next purchase. I remember when we used to do something like that here with Corona bottles. It's an incentive but more emphasis should be placed on onus. The manufacturer being made to redesign bottles with tethered caps keeps them selling their product to their customers, but it's not enough to tackle the problem. Many households will dispose of many plastic bottles and tubs on a daily/weekly basis, but once it's in the bin - and the bin lid is shut - it's no longer their problem.
Not sure what the solution is, but tethering caps to bottles isn't going to save the planet.
They do that in Germany too, there;s even a deposit on plastic bottles.Bottles now have tethered caps. What problem did/does this solve?
In Holland customers can take their empty beer bottles to the supermarket and get money off their next purchase. I remember when we used to do something like that here with Corona bottles. It's an incentive but more emphasis should be placed on onus. The manufacturer being made to redesign bottles with tethered caps keeps them selling their product to their customers, but it's not enough to tackle the problem. Many households will dispose of many plastic bottles and tubs on a daily/weekly basis, but once it's in the bin - and the bin lid is shut - it's no longer their problem.
Not sure what the solution is, but tethering caps to bottles isn't going to save the planet.
In the UK, when I was a kid, almost all glass bottles had a 'deposit' which you got back when you returned the empty; IIRC it was 3d on a 10d bottle. And bottles were really recycled, rather than smashed up and re-made - they were returned to the manufacturer for sterilising and re-use.
Edited by CanAm on Wednesday 20th March 11:32
CanAm said:
Glassman said:
World problems aside...
Bottles now have tethered caps. What problem did/does this solve?
In Holland customers can take their empty beer bottles to the supermarket and get money off their next purchase. I remember when we used to do something like that here with Corona bottles. It's an incentive but more emphasis should be placed on onus. The manufacturer being made to redesign bottles with tethered caps keeps them selling their product to their customers, but it's not enough to tackle the problem. Many households will dispose of many plastic bottles and tubs on a daily/weekly basis, but once it's in the bin - and the bin lid is shut - it's no longer their problem.
Not sure what the solution is, but tethering caps to bottles isn't going to save the planet.
They do that in Germany too, there;s even a deposit on plastice bottles.Bottles now have tethered caps. What problem did/does this solve?
In Holland customers can take their empty beer bottles to the supermarket and get money off their next purchase. I remember when we used to do something like that here with Corona bottles. It's an incentive but more emphasis should be placed on onus. The manufacturer being made to redesign bottles with tethered caps keeps them selling their product to their customers, but it's not enough to tackle the problem. Many households will dispose of many plastic bottles and tubs on a daily/weekly basis, but once it's in the bin - and the bin lid is shut - it's no longer their problem.
Not sure what the solution is, but tethering caps to bottles isn't going to save the planet.
In the UK, when I was a kid, almost all glass bottles had a 'deposit' which you got back when you returned the empty; IIRC it was 3d on a 10d bottle. And bottles were really recycled, rather than smashed up and re-made - they were returned to the manufacturer for sterilising and re-use.
Each time I travel to Germany for work it's always a little surprising the absolute lack of plastic bottles. Everything is glass and has a pfand deposit to return. You don't see much if any plastic bottle litter as a consequence.
Also, plastic is nowhere near as recycled as it should or could be. Too costly. Glass bottles can be washed and reused.
Also, plastic is nowhere near as recycled as it should or could be. Too costly. Glass bottles can be washed and reused.
GroundEffect said:
Each time I travel to Germany for work it's always a little surprising the absolute lack of plastic bottles. Everything is glass and has a pfand deposit to return. You don't see much if any plastic bottle litter as a consequence.
Also, plastic is nowhere near as recycled as it should or could be. Too costly. Glass bottles can be washed and reused.
As I said, we used to re-use them. now we have 'virtue signalling' recycling where they are smashed up, melted down, and re-manufactured!Also, plastic is nowhere near as recycled as it should or could be. Too costly. Glass bottles can be washed and reused.
boxst said:
Yes I also noticed this recently. It's starting with a particular (huge) company that owns many brands.
Its a little bit irritating as it means you cannot screw the lid back on very easily.
Moan moan, it also prevents the cap rolling off your faux granite worktop andIts a little bit irritating as it means you cannot screw the lid back on very easily.
rolling under your Frostamatic Smegmasterblaster. great invention.
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