Can You Leave Caps on Bottles When You Drop Them Off at a Recycling Depot in Adelaide?

If you’ve noticed, bottle caps are usually made of materials different from that of the bottle. Of course, the cap could also be plastic, but you’ll see that it’s always harder or softer. In addition, the texture of the cap is different from the bottle, so they can’t be recycled together.

Plastics are usually separated from each other during the recycling process because they have their melting points. The bottle caps would be unwanted since they’re not the target material desired for recycling.

If the caps were needed, you’d probably have to store them separately from the actual bottles, but it would be a tedious process. You’d have to recycle a ton of bottles even to get enough bottle caps to recycle something worthwhile. It can seem unnecessary when plastic bottles are made out of the same materials like bottle caps. 

To clear up any misunderstanding, it’s advisable you ask your Adelaide recycling depot whether they want to the caps on or off. Some depots want them on while others want them off. At Thornton’s recycling, we advise people who want to drop off their bottles to remove them before getting to our station.

Safety Hazard

Bottles are often crushed during the processing stage for easy transportation. When bottles are crushed with the caps on, the pressure involved can make the caps shoot off. Any worker or staff on the receiving end of a bottle cap flying at high speed will incur serious injuries. This makes it a safety hazard because something like where the cap shoots off can’t be controlled. 

So you can say that removing the caps off your bottles helps ensure safety.

Machinery Issues

There’s a high possibility of stray bottle caps coming loose and getting into the recycling machinery. They could jam a machine and stall the whole recycling process. Since the caps are too little, it would take a while before the problem is traced to its origin.

Plus, some metal caps could destroy the processing machines because of how hard they are. 

The issue of whether you should leave the caps on your bottle largely depends on the recycling depot you use. Some don’t mind when the caps are on, while some do, which is why you need to know their recycling needs.

At Thornton’s recycling, we want the caps off every bottle you bring to our recycling depot. We offer a wide range of recycling services that will surely benefit you. Contact us to find out some of our recycling services you need.