this post was submitted on 06 Jun 2026
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[–] save_the_humans@leminal.space 2 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago) (1 children)

Well on my county's recycling website it literally says the cap cannot be recycled and must be removed and thrown in the trash. Im certain this was the case the last place I lived too.

If the EU has recycling centers that can process them together that's great and the law makes sense.

Not sure what needs to change aside from heavily limiting the production of plastic, but recycling has basically always been bullshit. One small win for plastic bottles in the EU doesn't solve the larger issue of every other mixed material or dirty plastic container that ultimately ends up in a landfill.

How many people clean and dry everything they recycle? How many people separate different plastics, mixed material items, or remove recyclable parts from things they throw away? So much of what can be recycled doesn't get recycled.

Looks like less than 10% of what can be recycled gets recycled, and up to 30% of what ends up in a recycling centers is trashed anyway. It should never have been the consumers responsibility. Wish people would stop buying this crap.

Plastic is the worst of all https://oceana.org/blog/recycling-myth-month-plastic-bottle-you-thought-you-recycled-may-have-been-downcycled-instead/. This is nothing but performative. Might only falsly appease someone's conscience.

[–] dustyData@lemmy.world 4 points 21 hours ago

Your country is lying to you. No surprise there, as all governments lie. There are plants specialized in recycling only the caps. For certain regulatory markets, the caps are easier to recycle than the bottles. As with anything, it's all about what infrastructure is in place, and how well it meshes with already existing manufacturing. You do what is best suited to your local waste management. But be aware that it is by no means global or a universal (chemical or otherwise) limitation. Governments need to regulate both sides to make recycling viable.