We’ve already talked about why bottles now have those new attached caps. But how do you drink from them without one of the ridged sides of the cap scraping your chin?
As with many everyday problems, the solution for me was on TikTok’s “For You” page. User @davebold1 recently shared a video explaining how to enjoy a stress-free sip, and the solution is surprisingly simple.
In the video, the creator lifted the cap up to the top edge of the bottle. Because the band that attaches the cap to the bottle is only fully fused on one side, the cap has enough room to lift up over the bottle without coming off. Then, he simply pulled the cap to the other side of the bottle, leaving it firmly attached to the opposite side with the flat top facing out, rather than the ridged part. This ensures that the cap stays on the bottle for recycling, but you don’t have to deal with a cap that moves around while you’re drinking.
Coca-Cola, the soft drink brand in the video, doesn’t seem to use this method in its online examples, but having tried it myself, I can say that it’s very useful.
User reactions in the comments
Not surprisingly, people were thrilled to learn this trick.
“And here I was, scratching my nose with every sip,” one user joked.
“This is why the caps always hit us in the face. We were doing it wrong,” commented another TikTok user.
And another comment, which many can relate to, said: “This would have saved me many times from being hit in the eye.”
Regulations on caps attached to bottles
Sustainable Plastics noted that while Coca-Cola was a pioneer in implementing attached caps, “(under EU law) plastic caps must remain attached after opening on all single-use plastic beverage containers up to three litres from July 2024.
Metal and glass containers are exempt from this obligation. The measure is expected to prevent 10% of plastic waste found on European beaches.”
Therefore, we should start practicing this trick as soon as possible.