Pollution, waste… caps will be required to be attached to plastic bottles from July 3

Une mesure adoptée en juin 2019 par le Parlement européen. MAXPPP – Alexandre MARCHI

À partir de juillet 2024, les bouchons de bouteilles en plastique en Europe devront rester attachés aux bouteilles. Cette initiative vise à réduire la pollution plastique et à améliorer le recyclage.

From July 3, 2024, bottle caps will be mandatory attached. Indeed, Europe has taken significant measures to combat plastic pollution with new regulations effective July 3, 2024. This reduces the number of caps that end up in landfills, oceans or even rivers, reports Science & Life. Although some consumers have expressed frustration, finding the new caps more difficult to use.

Minimizing waste

Adopted in June 2019 by the European Parliament, this measure also applies to other single-use plastic products, such as cutlery, plates and straws.

By attaching the caps to the bottles, both parts are properly recycled, thus minimizing waste. According to the European Commission, cited by our colleagues, plastic caps and capsules represent approximately 10% of plastic waste found on European beaches.

In the long term, this initiative is expected to contribute to a significant reduction of plastics in the sea and other ecosystems, helping to achieve the objectives of the EU Plastics Strategy, aimed at that the majority of plastic packaging be recyclable by 2030. The European Union has set July 3, 2027 as the deadline to evaluate the results of this new rule.

Increased operational costs

Manufacturers have had to invest massively in new technologies and adapt their machines to comply with European regulations. This required a significant restructuring of production lines and resulted in an increase in operational costs. The production of these caps has temporarily slowed down the supply chain, affecting their availability in the market.