第2483期:Why we should get used to undetachable bottle lids

Squashed noses, scratched cheeks and t-shirts covered in sticky drinks. These are just some of the things that people are complaining about following the introduction of a new style of plastic bottle lid. Regulations in Europe now require manufacturers to tether lids to plastic drink bottles, making them difficult to remove. 

鼻子被压扁，脸颊被抓伤，T 恤上沾满了粘稠的饮料。这些只是新型塑料瓶盖推出后人们抱怨的一些事情。欧洲的法规现在要求制造商将盖子拴在塑料饮料瓶上，使其难以移除。 

Of course, the reason behind this measure is not to make people annoyed. It's because when lids get separated from their bottles, they become a big problem. As they're small, bottle caps are easily discarded, representing a high percentage of the plastic waste found on beaches. UK surveys reported that bottle tops were the third most common type of waste found as litter. They're more buoyant than bottles and so can travel further once they're in the sea. They are then often mistaken for food by sea birds or other wildlife, endangering their health. Wildlife photographer Chris Jordan, documented how Midway Atoll in the Pacific was covered with the bodies of thousands of seabirds whose stomachs were full of plastic pollution, much of it plastic bottle tops. It's not just discarded lids that can be an issue. Carefully disposed of lids can present a problem in recycling plants. They are often too small for the machinery used to sort rubbish and end up being sent to landfill. 

当然，此举背后的原因并不是为了让人恼火。这是因为当盖子与瓶子分离时，就会成为一个大问题。由于瓶盖很小，很容易被丢弃，占海滩上发现的塑料垃圾的很大比例。英国的调查报告称，瓶盖是第三大最常见的垃圾类型。它们比瓶子更有浮力，因此一旦进入海中就可以游得更远。它们经常被海鸟或其他野生动物误认为是食物，从而危及它们的健康。野生动物摄影师克里斯·乔丹（Chris Jordan）记录了太平洋中途岛环礁如何布满了数千只海鸟的尸体，这些海鸟的胃里充满了塑料污染物，其中大部分是塑料瓶盖。造成问题的不仅仅是废弃的盖子。小心处理盖子可能会给回收厂带来问题。对于用于分类垃圾的机械来说，它们通常太小，最终被送往垃圾填埋场。 

Clever design could help reduce the scale of the problem. The way products are built can influence our behaviour. Consider a refrigerator that bleeps when left open too long. The alarm encourages us to close the door, saving energy. Renee Wever, writing in the International Journal of Sustainable Engineering highlights how metal drink can ring pulls were redesigned in the 1980s, to remain attached to the cans. This is the approach which has been taken with plastic bottles. 

巧妙的设计有助于减少问题的规模。产品的构建方式会影响我们的行为。考虑一台冰箱在打开时间过长时会发出蜂鸣声。警报鼓励我们关上门，节省能源。Renee Wever 在《国际可持续工程杂志》上撰文，重点介绍了 20 世纪 80 年代如何重新设计金属饮料罐拉环，以保持与罐子的连接。这是对塑料瓶采取的方法。 

If bottle tops are attached to bottles, they are more likely to be disposed of properly and less likely to present a problem to wildlife. Many recycling plants find it easier to recycle caps when they are attached to bottles. Could it be that making something slightly more difficult to use could make a real difference to solving our plastic waste problem. 

如果瓶盖附在瓶子上，则更有可能得到妥善处理，并且不太可能给野生动物带来问题。许多回收厂发现，当瓶盖附在瓶子上时，回收起来更容易。难道让一些东西稍微难用一点就能对解决我们的塑料垃圾问题产生真正的影响吗？