There’s not much to dislike about going to Europe. Yes, the plane journey is a nightmare, and French waiters can be really mean, but these things are a small price to pay for the many and varied blissful joys that you can experience in that richly cultured and endlessly fascinating part of the world. 

But there is one small thing about Europe that really gets everyone’s goat, and that little annoyance is now coming to our fair shores.

The NSW Government recently announced the next stage of its single-use and problematic plastic phase-outs. This stage aims to target unnecessary and hard-to-recycle plastic products. Products that will be phased out include plastic bread tags and pizza savers (from late 2027), non-compostable plastic fruit and vegetable stickers (by 2030) and small condiment containers such as soy sauce fish bottles (by 2030). But what really stands out is that the government is planning to introduce tethered lids to plastic bottles – meaning the cap or lid on a plastic bottle remains attached to the bottle itself, even after it’s opened. These will become mandatory by 2030.

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Credit: iStock

The EU first introduced its plan for tethered caps in 2019, making it mandatory from 2024. The idea is that, because the cap stays attached to the bottle, it’s harder to throw away as litter, and also doesn’t later get lost in the recycling stream. Plastic bottle lids are now one of the most common plastic items found in rivers and oceans around the world. And because the caps are smaller and more buoyant than plastic bottles, they can float along for longer, travelling further through waterways, threatening a greater number of marine life. Environmental groups have been calling on Australian governments to implement tethered lid policies for years

So yes, tethering lids to bottles is a good idea for the environment. But the reason they’re so hated is because they’re so annoying. They get all up in your face, and can make drinking from the bottle more difficult. 

@azaleacarrillo3 Fighting for my life with these caps 💦 #europe #europetrip #waterbottle ♬ original sound – r

Sadly, New South Welshers are just going to have to get used to it. No word yet on whether other states are to follow, but it will surely only be a matter of time. 

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