Coca-Cola changing the way its bottles are manufactured to make recycling simpler

No longer will consumers be troubled with a capless Coke bottle. Aiming to bolster recycling and curb misplacing nuisances, the Coca-Cola company said earlier this week in a news release that it's changing the way its bottles are manufactured. The first wave of a new era in Coke bottles began in the United Kingdom earlier this week as the British arm of the company unveiled newer plastic bottles with the cap attached – a slight but significant change from the longstanding twist caps unattached to the bottle. The company said its caps often end up in the trash and don't find their way to the recycling bin with their corresponding bottles. The new bottles are meant to make recycling the entire product much simpler. The products with new plastic bottles on the horizon are coming out in the next two years and include Coke, Coke Zero Sugar, Diet Coke, Fanta, Sprite and Dr. Pepper. They're expected to have the bottles by 2024; the transition applies only to U.K. bottles. "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," Coca-Cola Great Britain general manager Jon Woods said in a statement Tuesday. The move comes on the heels of the European Union requiring that caps be attached to some plastic bottles as part of its directive on single-use plastics. Many companies have until the end of 2024 to comply. Responding to environmental concerns, Coca-Cola created the World Without Waste initiative, outlining plans to have better recycling habits with its consumers by 2030. Also part of the initiative: to make all its cans and bottles with 50% recycled material as well as packaging 100% recyclable. Plastic waste, largely fueled by bottles from companies like Coca-Cola, is an environmental problem because plastics end up hurting marine life by showing up on beaches or in landfills.