Why do you 'lock' the cap to the Coke bottle?
On May 17, Coca-Cola UK announced that it will be adding an attached attachment ring to its drink bottles starting this week.
This design allows the cap to remain attached to the bottle after it has been unscrewed. When an empty bottle is collected, the cap can be recycled along with the bottle instead of being thrown away and 'straying' to end up on the beach or landfill.
Coca-Cola UK has also pledged to replace its entire range of brands, including Coca-Cola, Fanta and Sprite, with this eco-friendly design by early 2024. In addition, the company plans to make cans and bottles from 50% recycled materials by 2030.
A recently released [report] by The Last Beach Clean Up and Beyond Plastics (https://www.beyondplastics.org/press-releases/the-real-truth-about-plastics- recycling) shows a 5% - 6% recycling rate for post-consumer plastic waste in the U.S. in 2021, compared to a 66% recycling rate for paper.
By contrast, Coca-Cola's recycling performance in Europe is more impressive.
Through a simple 'deposit - can recycling - deposit back' model, Norway achieved a 95% recycling rate for reusable bottles and a 98% recycling rate for aluminium cans in 2018.
In addition, some environmentalists pointed out that "recycling" is only a solution that "treats the symptoms but not the root cause", and that Coca-Cola should focus more on reducing the production of plastic beverage bottles.