I know they’re supposed to be good for the environment. But… Holy smokes they drive me up the wall. They really do!
I had no trouble adapting when aluminum can pull-tabs got replaced by push-tabs, because it was pretty much the same movement, and I could see the immediate advantage of not getting cut by a pull-tab.
But the tethered cap is fighting decades of muscle memory in me: I’m used to taking the cap off with one hand and keeping it there while taking a swig with the other. Now I unscrew the cap with one hand, but I still have to hold the cap so it’s out of the way. It feels like drinking in handcuffs each and every time…
So unlike the pull-tab, the tethered plastic bottle cap is one of those compulsory eco solutions that constantly make you feel ever-so-slightly more miserable all the time, and I hate that because ecology only works when it brings something of value both to people and to the environment.
Imagine a system where for each bottle produced but not recycled, plant has to pay 1000$ fine. And just let them recycle any bottle to get rid of the fine. Companies would cut each other’s throats to recycle as much as possible. I could imagine big shots investing huge amounts of money into recycling so they can hurt other manufacturers. Many would switch to glass to become untouchable, but that would only mean those who still use plastic would have to try even harder to offset their production. Am assuming problem would be solved within a year.