New bottle caps on fizzy drinks which are designed to be more environmentally-friendly have been branded "tricky to open". Customers have complained about how the top cap is now trickier to detach from the ring on the bottle, but the new design isn't a "flaw" that it might seem to be.
Last year the Coca-Cola brand revealed it would be making the swap to attached caps in a bid to keep all the packaging together - making it easier to recycle. It also makes the small cap less likely to be littered.
So if you have found it difficult to remove the top cap from your favourite bottle of pop recently - that's the whole point. Coca-Cola, who have teamed up with manufacturer Berry for the change, won't be the last brand to implement this change, as it is set to become mandatory across the EU.
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According to Sustainable Plastic, tethered caps first became the topic of discussion in 2018, when the European Commission proposed introducing them on single-use beverage bottles. In June 2019 it was then decided that single-use bottles that are smaller than three litres and have plastic caps and lids will only be allowed on the market if the caps and lids remain attached to the containers during the products intended use and storage.
This will come into force from July 3, 2024 - and while the UK is no longer part of the EU, it is likely brands will also roll out the new bottles in the UK market too. Announcing the change last year, a statement from Coca-Cola said: "Attached caps on bottles make it easier to keep all parts of our packaging together, so it’s easier to collect and recycle every part of a drinks bottle once you’re done with it. This new design ensures that when Coca‑Cola customers recycle our bottles, no cap gets left behind, helping to boost collection and recycling, and reduce litter.
"All of Coca‑Cola’s bottles, including the caps, have been 100% recyclable for many years but not all are being recycled. Bottle caps are often discarded and littered. Our innovative new design means that the cap stays connected to the bottle after opening, reducing the potential for it to be thrown away while still giving our customers the experience they know and love.
"From today, new attached caps will be introduced to 1.5L bottles of Fanta, Diet Coke and Coca‑Cola Zero Sugar. The switch is set to be completed for all plastic bottles across Coca‑Cola Great Britain’s entire range by early 2024."
The change hasn't gone down well with everyone though, @rliessum said on Twitter: "That "convenience" function of keeping caps attached to Coca-Cola bottles is really starting to annoy me."
Another person said: "Shout out to Coca-Cola for changing the cap on top of the drinks stopped buying them ever since cause they don't close properly anymore."
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