Is the cap on a recyclable plastic bottle also recyclable?
No, the cap is not recyclable for two reasons. First, the cap is made of a different plastic than the bottle and the cap’s plastic is usually one of the ones that isn’t recycled at all because there is no market for it. Furthermore, this means that the two plastics must be separated before the recycling process begins because the different types of plastic are incompatible with each other and would cause potentially ruinous contamination if mixed. Secondly, if you look closely at the inside of the cap, you will see a thin film of clear plastic stretched over the harder plastic, which is used to provide a good seal when the cap is tightened on the bottle. Again, these are incompatible plastics and would also be difficult to separate efficiently. When plastic bottles are processed for recycling, laborers have to make sure the cap is separated and thrown away (and the collar, too). Overall recycling costs would be reduced if all consumers removed the caps before recycling the bottles.
No, the cap is not recyclable for two reasons. First, the cap is made of a different plastic than the bottle and the cap’s plastic is usually one of the ones that isn’t recycled at all because there is no market for it. Furthermore, this means that the two plastics must be separated before the recycling process begins because the different types of plastic are incompatible with each other and would cause potentially ruinous contamination if mixed. Secondly, if you look closely at the inside of the cap, you will see a thin film of clear plastic stretched over the harder plastic, which is used to provide a good seal when the cap is tightened on the bottle. Again, these are incompatible plastics and would also be difficult to separate efficiently. When plastic bottles are processed for recycling, laborers have to make sure the cap is separated and thrown away (and the collar, too). Overall recycling costs would be reduced if all consumers removed the caps before recycling the bottles.
