# Do you put the cap on a bottle when you throw it away? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [November 24, 2009, 9:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-put-the-cap-on-a-bottle-when-you-throw-it-away/518824 "2009-11-24T21:18:14Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2009, 12:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-put-the-cap-on-a-bottle-when-you-throw-it-away/518824/21 "2009-11-27T00:44:40Z")
I always assumed a capped bottle takes up more space than an uncapped one. And the idea of throwing something away that still has liquid in it surprises me. You want to encourage your trash bag to leak and/or smell bad? ---
**Author:** ![silvermist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/cc9497/32.png) [@silvermist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silvermist)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2009, 3:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-put-the-cap-on-a-bottle-when-you-throw-it-away/518824/22 "2009-11-27T15:53:24Z")
I throw out the cap and rinse the bottle. ---
**Author:** ![DMark](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@DMark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DMark)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2009, 6:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-put-the-cap-on-a-bottle-when-you-throw-it-away/518824/23 "2009-11-27T18:18:49Z")
> [@ouryL](#): > > For storage reasons, I always crush the plastic bottle and replace the cap so as to keep the bottle “deflated”. Ditto. ---
**Author:** ![Nars\_Glinley](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nars_glinley/32/8177_2.png) [@Nars\_Glinley](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nars_Glinley)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2009, 6:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-put-the-cap-on-a-bottle-when-you-throw-it-away/518824/24 "2009-11-27T18:39:28Z")
> [@ouryL](#): > > For storage reasons, I always crush the plastic bottle and replace the cap so as to keep the bottle “deflated”. Same here. ---
**Author:** ![Chris\_Luongo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/7cd45c/32.png) [@Chris\_Luongo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chris_Luongo)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2009, 6:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-put-the-cap-on-a-bottle-when-you-throw-it-away/518824/25 "2009-11-27T18:40:26Z")
I spend quite a bit of time in my car, I try to always recycle, and it’s rare to find recycling available in public places. So, I put the cap back on, and keep the soda or water bottle in the car until I get home where it goes in the recycling bin. I really should get in the habit of removing the cap before recycling, it seems. ---
**Author:** ![Chris\_Luongo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/7cd45c/32.png) [@Chris\_Luongo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chris_Luongo)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2009, 7:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-put-the-cap-on-a-bottle-when-you-throw-it-away/518824/26 "2009-11-27T19:00:55Z")
By the way, for those of you who don’t mind seeing something a little graphic, search online for the video of Richard Alfonso Cerna’s suicide. I won’t give any spoilers, but it does involve a plastic bottle and bottle cap. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ricardo\_Alfonso\_Cerna](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ricardo_Alfonso_Cerna) ---
**Author:** ![tumbleddown](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e9bcb4/32.png) [@tumbleddown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tumbleddown)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2009, 1:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-put-the-cap-on-a-bottle-when-you-throw-it-away/518824/27 "2009-11-28T01:48:25Z")
Apparently I’m doing it wrong because I have been putting the cap on things before tossing them in the recycling. I shall cease this practice now. ---
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2009, 5:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-put-the-cap-on-a-bottle-when-you-throw-it-away/518824/28 "2009-11-28T05:48:03Z")
I’m another who tosses the caps to appease the recycling center. ---
**Author:** ![Gala\_Matrix\_Fire](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/4da419/32.png) [@Gala\_Matrix\_Fire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gala_Matrix_Fire)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2009, 3:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-put-the-cap-on-a-bottle-when-you-throw-it-away/518824/29 "2009-11-28T15:43:47Z")
> [@ouryL](#): > > For storage reasons, I always crush the plastic bottle and replace the cap so as to keep the bottle “deflated”. Me too. Takes up a lot less space that way. ---
**Author:** ![Munch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/munch/32/5281_2.png) [@Munch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Munch)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2009, 5:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-put-the-cap-on-a-bottle-when-you-throw-it-away/518824/30 "2009-11-28T17:15:32Z")
> [@Chris\_Luongo](#): > > By the way, for those of you who don’t mind seeing something a little graphic, search online for the video of Richard Alfonso Cerna’s suicide. > > I won’t give any spoilers, but it does involve a plastic bottle and bottle cap. > > [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ricardo\_Alfonso\_Cerna](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ricardo_Alfonso_Cerna) What in the world does that have to do with a bottle or bottle cap?!? ---
**Author:** ![salinqmind](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/3ec8ea/32.png) [@salinqmind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/salinqmind)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2009, 5:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-put-the-cap-on-a-bottle-when-you-throw-it-away/518824/31 "2009-11-28T17:25:54Z")
I rinse the bottle and put it in the recycling bin. The cap goes into the trash can. What’s so hard about that? If there are a lot of plastic bottles in the bin, I’ll stomp them flat in the garage on trash night before hauling them to the curb, so they don’t blow away in the wind. Then I’ll set down the brown paper bag full of newspapers and magazines on top to weigh them down. ---
**Author:** ![Ponderoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ponderoid/32/19221_2.png) [@Ponderoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ponderoid)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2009, 7:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-put-the-cap-on-a-bottle-when-you-throw-it-away/518824/32 "2009-11-28T19:09:17Z")
> [@Munch](#): > > What in the world does that have to do with a bottle or bottle cap?!? Follow the [snopes.com](http://snopes.com) link in the article. That video on the snopes page is probably NSFW. ---
**Author:** ![Lobsang](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobsang/32/4067_2.png) [@Lobsang](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobsang)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2009, 8:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-put-the-cap-on-a-bottle-when-you-throw-it-away/518824/33 "2009-11-28T20:41:46Z")
For reasons I can’t quite work out: I’ve never took the time to work out _why_ I put the cap back on before throwing the bottle in the bin. But it’s what I do. Maybe it seems to require less effort (carrying one item to a bin and throwing it, as opposed to carrying two things to a bin and throwing them) Or maybe it’s more hygienic (an open bottle with tiny amounts of liquid left in will attract germs) Or maybe I just don’t care. ---
**Author:** ![Chris\_Luongo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/7cd45c/32.png) [@Chris\_Luongo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chris_Luongo)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2009, 7:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-put-the-cap-on-a-bottle-when-you-throw-it-away/518824/34 "2009-11-29T07:26:53Z")
> [@Ponderoid](#): > > Follow the [snopes.com](http://snopes.com) link in the article. That video on the snopes page is probably NSFW. Exactly. I’m a little new to the Straight Dope and don’t want to violate any rules, and also didn’t want to either get anyone into trouble at work, or have them view a video that’s a little on the graphic side…so I didn’t include a direct link to the video. ---
**Author:** ![flodnak](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/838e76/32.png) [@flodnak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/flodnak)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2009, 8:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-put-the-cap-on-a-bottle-when-you-throw-it-away/518824/35 "2009-11-29T08:09:00Z")
For bottles I will return for deposit, which means almost all drink bottles here, I put the cap back on. This is what the soft drink companies prefer, as drips and drabs of soda apparently draw bugs and just generally make the process messier. Since they only deal with a limited number of bottle types, they have machines to remove the caps. For bottles headed for the recycling bag, I leave the cap off, for reasons already mentioned. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-put-the-cap-on-a-bottle-when-you-throw-it-away/518824.md?page=1)