The coronavirus pandemic is having an unexpected side effect: A shortage of plastic bottles and caps needed for essential products such as antibacterial soap and hand sanitizers.
China and Northern Italy are the two main manufacturers of plastic bottle closures for cleaning and personal care products used in the United Kingdom. Both have been very hard hit by COVID-19, which has now led to a global shortage of virtually all bottle closures, including trigger sprays, hand soap pumps, and spray pumps.
Delphis Eco, which calls itself the U.K.’s leading plant-based chemical company, and recycling company First Mile are now calling on the U.K. public to recycle their empty plastic personal care and cleaning bottles and closures of any size or brand, via a free RecycleBox courier collection.
“We’re asking the public to please save all of their plastic triggers, pumps and caps and send them back, along with their bottles, to First Mile through our RecycleBox scheme. This small action will have a big impact in terms of getting much-needed cleaning and sanitizing products out to those that need them most,” said Bruce Bratley, founder and CEO at First Mile.
RecycleBox was developed by First Mile to provide an easy courier recycling service for those businesses and homes throughout the U.K.. People can place their bottles and closures an empty cardboard box and book a free collection at recyclebox.co.uk. First Mile will then sort and clean items before returning them to Delphis to be refilled and reused.
“We are a very proud U.K. manufacturer and currently have antibacterial sanitizer sitting in big containers but, like wine without a cork, we can’t supply any bottles,” explained CEO at Delphis Eco, Mark Jankovich. He added that it was a great way to help fight COVID-19, and help the environment at the same time.
All the bottles used by Delphis Eco are made from 100 percent recycled plastic milk bottles, and are 100 percent recyclable. Its cleaning products are derived from sustainable, natural resources, and are 100 percent biodegradable.