The change is a first for a major drinks firm
Coca-Cola is introducing attached bottle caps to its plastic bottles across all of its soft drink brands, in a bid to cut down on plastic waste.
The move is said to be a first for a major soft drinks company, and aims to make it easier for consumers to recycle all of the bottle.
Consumers will start to see the change on 1.5 litre bottles of Fanta, Coca-Cola Zero Sugar and Diet Coke in Scotland this month. The switch is set to be completed for all plastic bottles across the range of brands by early 2024.
Despite all of the company’s current bottle caps being recyclable, they are often discarded and littered.
Coca-Cola Great Britain general manager Stephen Moorhouse said: “This is a small change that we hope will have a big impact, ensuring that when consumers recycle our bottles, no cap gets left behind.
“As the world’s biggest drinks company, we recognise that we have a leading role to play in pushing innovation and design to produce more high-quality recycled plastic which can be converted into new bottles.”
(Credit: Coca-Cola)Adam Herriott, from waste reduction organisation Wrap, said: “This great move from Coca-Cola Great Britain supports the ongoing work with the UK Plastics Pact in trying to ensure that as much plastic packaging is captured and recycled as possible.
“In 2020, we saw the amount of plastic packaging being recycled increase from 44% to 52%. The small changes are what adds up to make a big difference and when it comes to recycling, the higher quality of the material the better.
“We look forward to seeing more innovations in this area”.
Resources and waste minister Jo Churchill said: “More businesses are finding innovative ways to tackle harmful plastic pollution and Coca-Cola’s new design will make it easier for people to recycle and help reduce litter.”
The move is the latest in a series of initiatives from brands and retailers to reduce their plastic waste and boost recycling under the UK Plastics Pact.
A deposit return scheme for plastic bottles has been in the works since 2018, but despite pledges to bring this in next year, it will now not be up and running until late 2024 at the earliest, the Guardian reports.
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