Benutzte Plastikdeckel werden von einer Hand gegriffen

Collect plastic caps for a good cause

With the proceeds, we enable meals and recycling infrastructure in Nicaragua, Ghana & India.

Why do we collect PET caps?

Plastic caps are small, but together they can make a big difference. We collect caps from PET bottles, sell them to our Swiss recycling partner, and invest the proceeds in our social and environmental projects in Nicaragua, Ghana, and India.

Whether you are a business, school, club, or individual, everyone can take part.

Eine Recycling Anlage wo Utz Logistikkisten recyclet werden

Your support makes a direct impact!

What happens to your lids

We sell the plastic lids you collect to the Utz Group in Bremgarten. There, they are recycled and used to manufacture new Utz reusable crates that are widely used in logistics across Switzerland. This gives the plastic lids a new life and keeps them in the circular economy.

At the same time, the proceeds from our sale of the lids go directly to our projects in Nicaragua, Ghana, and India. This money allows us to collect and recycle plastic, provide meals for local communities, create jobs, and raise awareness among children about plastic and waste.

This means your plastic lid does twice as much good: it is recycled into a new product while also funding social and environmental impact.

How easily you can collect plastic lids

Whether a business, school, club, restaurant or private individual: everyone can take part in our bottle cap collection campaign.

The principle is simple: you place a collection container at your location and collect PET bottle caps in it. We pass the collected plastic caps on to a Swiss recycling partner, where they are recycled. The proceeds support our social and environmental projects in Nicaragua, Ghana and India.

This is how something small gradually becomes something bigger.

  • Easy to take part: Collecting caps can be easily integrated into everyday life.
  • Get active together: Employees, customers, students, guests or club members can participate.
  • Promote a circular economy: The collected caps are recycled in Switzerland and given a new life.
  • Support our projects: The proceeds from the recycling go towards our work in Nicaragua, Ghana and India.
  • Make sustainability visible: A collection container shows right on the spot that you are taking action together.

Cap collection containers

2 products

The cardboard cap collection container The cardboard cap collection container
Buy
The cardboard cap collection container
$56.00
The premium cap collection container
Buy
The premium cap collection container
$1,002.00

Depending on where and how you want to collect, you can choose between two options:

Cardboard Lid Collection Bin

Ideal for schools, clubs, smaller businesses, offices, or anyone who wants to start collecting lids without any hassle.

The lightweight cardboard collection bin is easy to set up and makes your lid collection campaign immediately visible.

→ Order the cardboard collection bin

Premium Lid Collection Bin

Ideal for businesses, reception areas, showrooms, hotels, or other publicly visible locations.

The high-quality collection bin is designed for organizations that want to integrate their lid collection campaign permanently and prominently into their premises.

→ Order the premium collection bin

How the lid collection campaign works

1

Select collection container

Choose the cardboard or premium collection bin suitable for your location and order it directly online.

2

Set up the container

Place the collection container where many people pass by: for example, in the office, entrance area, break room, school building, restaurant, or club house.

3

Collect plastic lids

Now employees, customers, students, guests and other people can deposit their PET bottle caps.

4

Hand over the collected lids to us

Once the container is full, you can drop off the lid with us at Feldstrasse 42 in 8004 Zurich or send it to us by post.

5

Lids make the difference

We take the collected lids to our recycling partner. There, they are recycled and turned into new products. We receive CHF 0.70 for each kilogram. The proceeds go towards our projects for people and the environment.

6

Ready to collect together?

Every lid counts. Start your own collection drive and motivate people in your company, school, club, or community to take action together.

FAQ

Which lids can you collect?

For recycling, HDPE & PP plastic caps are the right choice. These are the caps from all conventional PET bottles.

What material are PET bottle caps made of?

Plastic caps from PET bottles are made of HDPE & PP plastic. These are polypropylene and polyethylene. The UTZ Group processes our caps into regranulate, which is used for the production of plastic containers.

Should I leave the cap on the PET bottle or unscrew it?

“Empty, squash, and cap” is the usual rule for PET recycling. But you can also donate the cap separately to Buy Food with Plastic, helping out without spending a cent.

Simply squeeze the air out of the PET bottle, remove the cap, and donate it to us. The squashed bottle stays compact even without its cap and can be placed in the PET recycling collection as usual.

So: Empty, squash, and donate the cap.
Put the PET bottle in the PET recycling, give the HDPE or PP cap to Buy Food with Plastic, and help support our social and environmental projects.

Is collecting lids practical or just symbolic?

For us, collecting lids for a good cause means funding meals and jobs. You can also donate meals without collecting lids. Become a member here - or fund a meal directly.

For what other good causes are lids collected?

The Guide Dog Schools for the Blind collect bottle caps to fund the training of guide dogs in Switzerland. No matter where you donate without money, every initiative helps keep the environment clean and promote recycling.

Do you also accept lids by mail?

If the lids are clean and dry and free from foreign substances, we will also accept the lids by mail. Send your lids to

Buy Food with Plastic
Feldstrasse 42
8004 Zurich

Zwei Frauen und der Austausch von Plastik für eine warme Mahlzeit

What happens to the donations?

Buy Food with Plastic

Every donation goes directly to Buy Food with Plastic's social projects. We are a Swiss organization that enables people in Nicaragua, Ghana, and India to pay for warm meals with plastic bottles. But that's just the beginning! The collected plastic bottles are turned into new products in our local workshops that are not only environmentally friendly but also promote a circular economy.

Learn more about the Buy Food with Plastic concept!

Support our mission in other ways too

You can not only support us by collecting caps, but also become part of positive change in other ways. Join in and make an immediate impact!

Become a donor

Help reduce plastic pollution and poverty.
Learn more about donating

Become a member

You can make a big difference for as little as CHF 5 per month.

Learn more about memberships

Become a Corporate Partner

Join us in working towards a more sustainable world.
Learn more about partnerships

Do you have any remaining questions? Feel free to contact

Khalil Radi

Co-founder & Head of Operations