The bottle top thing is an EU waste directive. All those clever bods at EU central got their clever heads together to prioritise how to reduce waste and save the environment.
After a number of years we started to see these new fandangled bottle tops appearing, not just in the EU but in the UK, perhaps due to our ongoing 'alignment' with their directives.
The screw cap top is attached two points to the plastic collar on the neck, meaning the massive problem of 'bottle top waste' is now all but eliminated.
Having picked up a lot of litter over the years (especially during lockdown) I wouldn't say that bottle tops were a big contributor to waste. It was more a general problem with littering which included both the top and the bottle. In fact, the bottle was the bigger, more problematic, more visible source.
The conclusions I would make from the directive are that:
People who are still intent on littering continue to do so. Littering both bottle and top.
People who don't litter continue to put litter in bins. Bottle and top, as they did before.
New EU bottles are harder for children to drink from, spilling a lot down themselves.
New EU bottles are harder to screw back on, meaning extra drink gets spilt, generally.
Many people break off the plastic attachment points because of the above.
I don't know how much time, money and energy went into that directive but its benefits are pretty questionable!
To be generous, there is a chance that some littered bottles are now in one piece, rather than two pieces but I think the instances are few and far between.
Meanwhile Elon and America cracked on with other stuff.
I love this article and I love the bottle top meme. Nothing could be starker.
Despite all the hate directed its way, America still believes in itself.
In a world of self loathing, blame, denial and excuses, countries and people who have a national energy and self esteem are such an inspiration and a welcome relief.
Perhaps we need a league table of self belief in Western nations.
Success and achievement seems to lead to guilt. Good times create weak men. We need to work on the antidote to that. Probably by remembering more of the stories during the hard times that create good men.
In the West the number of nations where a majority of the people still believe in themselves is pretty short. Israel and America only? Perhaps Australia? Britain as you say is still battling internally to rediscover what made it Great in the first place. Too many Oikophobes within its own borders.
Thank you for that birthday gift.
Good column. It is true.
Dont want to side track, but I did not get the bottle top reference. Is that something in England?
The bottle top thing is an EU waste directive. All those clever bods at EU central got their clever heads together to prioritise how to reduce waste and save the environment.
After a number of years we started to see these new fandangled bottle tops appearing, not just in the EU but in the UK, perhaps due to our ongoing 'alignment' with their directives.
The screw cap top is attached two points to the plastic collar on the neck, meaning the massive problem of 'bottle top waste' is now all but eliminated.
Having picked up a lot of litter over the years (especially during lockdown) I wouldn't say that bottle tops were a big contributor to waste. It was more a general problem with littering which included both the top and the bottle. In fact, the bottle was the bigger, more problematic, more visible source.
The conclusions I would make from the directive are that:
People who are still intent on littering continue to do so. Littering both bottle and top.
People who don't litter continue to put litter in bins. Bottle and top, as they did before.
New EU bottles are harder for children to drink from, spilling a lot down themselves.
New EU bottles are harder to screw back on, meaning extra drink gets spilt, generally.
Many people break off the plastic attachment points because of the above.
I don't know how much time, money and energy went into that directive but its benefits are pretty questionable!
To be generous, there is a chance that some littered bottles are now in one piece, rather than two pieces but I think the instances are few and far between.
Meanwhile Elon and America cracked on with other stuff.
I love this article and I love the bottle top meme. Nothing could be starker.
Despite all the hate directed its way, America still believes in itself.
In a world of self loathing, blame, denial and excuses, countries and people who have a national energy and self esteem are such an inspiration and a welcome relief.
Perhaps we need a league table of self belief in Western nations.
Success and achievement seems to lead to guilt. Good times create weak men. We need to work on the antidote to that. Probably by remembering more of the stories during the hard times that create good men.
In the West the number of nations where a majority of the people still believe in themselves is pretty short. Israel and America only? Perhaps Australia? Britain as you say is still battling internally to rediscover what made it Great in the first place. Too many Oikophobes within its own borders.