The European Single-Use Plastic (SUP) Directive will see bottle lids required to stay attached to PET bottles under three litres from July.
As a result of the impending rule, the roll-out of the tethered plastic bottle lids has already begun, and many consumers may have noticed that the lid does not completely detach from the container.
RTÉ reported on the roll-out ahead of the directive coming into effect on 3 July.
Due to the size of bottle caps, they are more difficult to recycle if they become detached from the bottle with which they came.
Despite largely being made of recyclable material, caps are more frequently disposed of, even when bottles are recycled properly.
The SUP Directive aims to minimise the damage done by plastic, making recycling more straightforward and increasing consumer awareness.
Ireland’s Deposit Return Scheme (DRS), which launched in February, is also part of the SUP Directive.
‘No Cap Gets Left Behind’
Coca-Cola has introduced the tethered caps to its Irish products, as country manager with Coca-Cola Ireland Agnese Filippi told RTÉ, “The introduction of attached caps across our entire portfolio will ensure that the cap gets collected with the bottle for recycling.
“This small change has the potential to have a big impact, ensuring that consumers recycle our bottles and no cap gets left behind.”
A spokesperson from Ballygowan Water, owned by drinks giant Britvic, also told the TV network, “All Ballygowan products being produced now have tethered caps, in preparation for the EU legislation coming into force in July.
“We hope that this packaging change, twinned with Ireland’s Deposit Return Scheme, will help reduce littering and increase the amount of packaging recycled.”
Re-turn, the company implementing the DRS, reported at the start of June that 164.9 million containers had been returned as part of the scheme since its launch on 1 February.
As the tethered-cap deadline looms, companies and the government will observe the impact of a second waste directive introduced in Ireland this year.
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