Aluminum will probably only get more expensive, especially with tariffs. The plastics aren't necessarily separated by hand: in municipalities that recycle numerous types of plastics they recommend putting the bottles into recycle bins with the caps on. Apparently they grind down bottles and caps together and put them in water tanks to separate them. I didn't know this, but the PET chips sink and the chips made of HDPE or PP float. I think PP is recycled in fewer municipalities though.
That makes sense. grinding them up is probably one of the recycling steps anyway.
And the cost of the people needed to sort and remove the caps will mean that they all end up in the landfill... which is the oil industries plan anyway.
It was bad enough when the caps got so thin you needed a pipe wrench to twist them...
Glass bottles and aluminum caps... time to kick it old school.
Aluminum will probably only get more expensive, especially with tariffs. The plastics aren't necessarily separated by hand: in municipalities that recycle numerous types of plastics they recommend putting the bottles into recycle bins with the caps on. Apparently they grind down bottles and caps together and put them in water tanks to separate them. I didn't know this, but the PET chips sink and the chips made of HDPE or PP float. I think PP is recycled in fewer municipalities though.
The dosage makes the poison, as always. If the recycler wants them off they'd have to mechanically separate themâI doubt the density difference would be enough to separate them.
And the cost of the people needed to sort and remove the caps will mean that they all end up in the landfill... which is the oil industries plan anyway.
It was bad enough when the caps got so thin you needed a pipe wrench to twist them...
Glass bottles and aluminum caps... time to kick it old school.
The EU crew tells me it's already mandatory there. I was wondering about the compatibility issue.
... of course now that you've pointed it out, how do they deal with the little ring of the old cap that is currently left behind on the bottle? Is there some sort of percentage that doesn't matter? If it does get separated mechanically will it be harder with the larger lid attached?
The dosage makes the poison, as always. If the recycler wants them off they'd have to mechanically separate them—I doubt the density difference would be enough to separate them.
Caps like that are almost always polypropylene. The bottles are almost always polyethylene or PET-G. Most recycling places take PE and PET (types 1 and 2 plastics) as they are compatible with each other. PP (type 5) is not. Even if your recycler will take PP (none near me will) you'd need to rip the cap off to separate them.
This looks like a clever-but-ignorant design solution that makes the problem worse. Probably soon to be mandatory in California.
The EU crew tells me it's already mandatory there. I was wondering about the compatibility issue.
... of course now that you've pointed it out, how do they deal with the little ring of the old cap that is currently left behind on the bottle? Is there some sort of percentage that doesn't matter? If it does get separated mechanically will it be harder with the larger lid attached?
I thought there was a problem with the lid on my bougie organic, non-dairy foufy coffee creamer. But it turns out that the design is now such that the lid doesn't really come off when you open it. The European contingent tells me this is a new thing for recycling. I'm pretty sure I don't like it.
example image - not my coffee stuff.
I'm really sure I don't like it.
Caps like that are almost always polypropylene. The bottles are almost always polyethylene or PET-G. Most recycling places take PE and PET (types 1 and 2 plastics) as they are compatible with each other. PP (type 5) is not. Even if your recycler will take PP (none near me will) you'd need to rip the cap off to separate them.
This looks like a clever-but-ignorant design solution that makes the problem worse. Probably soon to be mandatory in California.
I thought there was a problem with the lid on my bougie organic, non-dairy foufy coffee creamer. But it turns out that the design is now such that the lid doesn't really come off when you open it. The European contingent tells me this is a new thing for recycling. I'm pretty sure I don't like it.
troublemaker
