Why oh why

[niemeyjt]

In around 2012, there was a chap at work collecting milk tops for the local scouts who then sold them as scrap.

He stopped - as apparently, it was not economic. But prices obviously fluctuate - so it is good they can be collected once again.

[Polly]

I hate that UK milk tops are all white - I now have to inspect bottles rather than just choosing milk automatically on the lid cover.

I give milk bottle lids to an ex-colleague when a group of us meet for a pub lunch every couple of months, which are sold to support the local air ambulance. I was concerned at first that the white tops might not bevsuitable, but apparently they are.

[Loup-garou]

I too hate these attached tops especially as I separate the tops from the bottles. Bottles go into the collected recycling at home and tops to the déchetterie where they take plastic bottle tops and plasticised wine bungs in the same bin.

[Blaze]

I find the attached lids really irritating - if you rip off the lid on water bottles, you risk leaving sharp bits of plastic on which to cut yourself. I've always squashed bottles and like LG put them in the recycling bin and taken plastic tops to the déchetterie.

As for milk bottles - those that don't have the attached lids seem to have become much more difficult to unscrew.

[exile]

Just a word of warming about crushing plastic bottles and tin cans.

Some recycle systems use optical sorting to separate out these high value items. If you crush the item, the system does not recognise it as a can or a bottle. The limitations of AI - or perhaps the programmers.

If you know that your recycler does not use this, then fine go ahead and crush. Otherwise better not.

[Blaze]

@exile I didn't know that and am still in "wash and squash" mode. That comes from when I was a child and rubbish collection was not frequent and needed to save space. We also composted or used a type of incinerator ...
I'll check what our recycler does !

[Polarengineer]

Your recycler makes enough money to sort his own problems out. One should continue to "wash and squash" to reduce trash volume, especially if one is being charged per bag for disposal. The volume charge is their idea and they need to adapt.

[exile]

I thought charging was for waste, not for recycled materials.

[p4psb]

It is an EU rule, that is why all are doing it.

[DaveW]

It is an EU rule, that is why all are doing it.

It is an EU rule, that is why all are doing it.

Do you have a link to said rule?