Is it true that you have to take the caps off bottles before they can be recycled?

Question

I heard that you have to take the caps off the plastic and glass bottles before you throw them into the recycling bin. Is this true, and why?

Answer 1

Yes always. If the bottle is made of glass, then the cap is a metal. even if both caps and bottle are made from plastic. Because normally the bottle is made from transparent plastics, and cap is pigmented (colored), and there are, various types in plastic, with different properties. For example, in a mineral water bottle, the bottle is made from food grade PET (Poly Ethylene Terephthalate ) but cap from HDPE ( High Density Poly Ethylene) etc., Hence the rule. Hope you are clarified.

Answer 2

Yes, because the caps are not recyclable.

Answer 3

Yes, but not for the reason Cathy F gave. Caps are in fact recycable, but go in a different place than bottles. Even if the bottle and cap are plastic they still have to be removed.