Currently, more and more drinks have caps that are attached to the bottle in such a way that it can be easily unscrewed, but the cork stays with the packaging. This is the result of the EU SUP Directive on reducing the environmental impact of certain plastic products. In Poland, it was introduced on March 9 this year. The regulations assume that from mid-2024 all plastic caps throughout the European Union should be factory-attached to the beverage packaging, regardless of whether it is in a bottle or carton.
The EU directive requires that the caps be attached to the packaging
The attached caps did not appeal to the Poles. Journalist Łukasz Zboralski published a tweet (now X) about the caps and attached a graphic showing an empty Coca-Cola bottle with the “new” option of caps. “The oppressive EU imposed corks on Poles, more firmly attached to bottles. There is a rebellion on Twitter. Brave Slavs do not give up. A German will not tie them corks!” – he wrote. A heated discussion ensued under the post.
The vast majority of commentators condemned the new regulations. “Cons: Problems with screwing on, because the thread of the cap does not line up with the thread of the bottle. 2. When drinking from the bottle, the wet cap touches the face. – wrote one of the users, listing the weaknesses of the solution. “Tomorrow they will order cutlery to be tied to the table with chains, as in the times of communism in pubs” – added another. There were also voices praising the idea of recycling. “And in my opinion, these corks are a great thing. They don’t die, they go straight to the plastic,” wrote one of the Internet users. “The idea is good, but it does not solve literally any, because if you go outside and look at what is on the ground, they are more often bottles than caps” – we read in another comment.
What’s next for collecting caps?
Some people asked what would happen to charity campaigns where plastic caps were often collected. According to experts, they have lost their meaning. Currently, the cap that will be thrown away with the crushed bottle will simply be recycled. This means that the entire packaging can be recycled and the amount of plastic released into the environment is reduced. Piotr Szewczyk, deputy director of the Orli Staw Municipal Waste Treatment Plant, admitted in an interview with that charity collections with caps are “eco-scam” and “introducing information chaos”.
– We are used to unscrewing them, only one person in 10 will take them to the assembly point. Or rather, it will drive, use fuel, car and own time, which is also bad for ecology – he said and added that the carbon footprint of collecting and returning hearts with caps to the recycler is also greater than that of tons of waste transported in one transport to the sorting plant by professional collecting companies.
Source: Gazeta
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