Kickstart: No more going topless, at least when it comes to bottles

There will be no going topless on European beaches this summer — at least not for bottles. And, actually, bottles will have to come with tops tethered to them everywhere throughout European Union countries, not just beaches, as of July 3 with the start of a new law requiring tethered caps for beverages 3 liters or smaller.

The requirement has been in development for some time, part of the EU's single-use plastics directive (SUPD) to reduce plastic pollution.

Coca-Cola Co., working with Berry Global Group Inc., already switched to tethered caps in 2023, and other companies added them well in advance of this year's deadline, Beatriz Santos from our sister paper Sustainable Plastics writes.

The tethered caps are intended to reduce waste by making sure the small pieces aren't lost and that they are recycled along with the container.

Reception has been mixed. You can find social media posts from some users who find them a clever way to reduce waste along with videos of people tearing them off, complaining they get in the way.

Coca-Cola said consumer tests found people were generally supportive of the new design, especially once they understood the recycling imperative behind it, Beatriz writes. The company has printed "I am attached to recycle together" on the caps to ease consumers into the new design.

Switzerland-based closures maker Corvaglia, meanwhile, is offering a cap designed to click into place below the opening so it is a bit more user-friendly.

Machinery maker Davis-Standard says it has received certification for its work to reduce the potential for pellet spillage through Operation Clean Sweep.

OCS is a voluntary industry program more known for its involvement with materials companies and transportation companies, but its membership also includes recyclers, processors and equipment suppliers.

CEO Giovanni Spitale notes in a news release that two Davis-Standard facilities — in Fulton, N.Y., and Pawcatuck, Conn. — are adjacent to waterways, which "underscores our responsibility to protect these resources and is why Operation Clean Sweep certification is so important to us."

Davis-Standard adds that in addition to its work with OCS, its North American facilities use carbon-free electricity.

Florida's new ban on the intentional release of balloons includes some important exceptions.

As PN's Bridget Janis writes, the bill language specifically excludes kids age 6 and younger who let go of their balloons. It also notes that it applies only to balloons filled with lighter-than-air materials.

But it also eliminates exceptions to previous rules in the state. Previously the ban allowed for "the intentional release of fewer than 10 balloons within a 24-hour period." The new rule also removes an exemption that had allowed for the release of biodegradable or photodegradable balloons.

The new ban was approved 38-2 by the state Senate and 102-9 by members of the Florida House of Representatives. Gov. Ron DeSantis signed it into law June 24.