PARIS, France (AFP) – Plastic bottle-tops on drinks sold in the European Union from next Wednesday will have to be attached to their container under new rules aiming to stem harmful pollution.

A range of products from bottles of water and fizzy drinks to cartons of milk and juice must have a cap that stays attached to the vessel once part of a 2019 EU directive comes into force on July 3.

Bottle caps and lids are “among the single-use plastic products that are found the most on beaches” in Europe, the directive said.

Now, disposable plastic products can only be sold “if they fulfil specific product design requirements that significantly reduce the dispersal into the environment of beverage container caps and lids made of plastic”.

The rule is part of a broader effort to curb production of single-use plastics, and has been transcribed into law in EU member states.

It also applies to tops on “composite packaging” such as milk or juice cartons that contain cardboard, plastic or aluminium.

The regulation excludes tops on glass and metal containers, as well as containers used for “medical purposes”.

France’s biggest-selling bottled water brand Cristaline first introduced tethered caps in 2016, calling itself a “pioneer”.

“It prevents caps from dispersing in nature and facilitates selective sorting and optimal recycling,” the company wrote in a statement.

The EU in 2021 banned single-use plastic plates, cutlery, straws and cotton swabs. Companies were allowed to continue selling off their stocks.

In March, the EU sealed a deal to ban single-use plastic packaging from 2030.

It will also apply to packaging of unprocessed fresh fruit and vegetables, individual portions of products such as condiments and sugar, as well as miniature toiletries and shrink-wrap for suitcases in airports.

The deal was a step towards the EU’s environmental goals under the Green Deal, a set of laws for helping the bloc meet its climate goals.