Regular consumers of bottled drinks will know all about a recent tweak that’s made enjoying their beverage a tad more cumbersome.

In an effort to slash plastic waste, manufacturers have modified the design so that bottle caps remain tethered to the bottle by small strips of plastic. This eco-friendly move was first proposed by the EU in 2018, aimed at tackling the widespread issue of bottle caps being discarded on beaches. The change has been gradually implemented across Europe, including in the UK.

Although the intention behind this is undoubtedly noble, it can’t be ignored that it introduces a minor inconvenience when drinking from plastic bottles the cap tends to either bump against your nose or complicates the act of sipping. However, there appears to be a nifty technique to handle the cap without detaching it entirely, simplifying the drinking process, and it seems many are just now catching on.

On TikTok, content creator Joanna shared with her audience “the special trick with these new tops”, revealing that she had only recently discovered it herself and was “honestly mind blown”.

Joanna recognises the positive environmental impact of the new design, which aims to reduce plastic litter on our shores, yet she conceded that it’s “a bit annoying” to drink with. “It can hit you in the mouth, and is just a bit frustrating and annoying,” lamented the mother-of-two.

She then revealed that while enjoying a bottle of Coca-Cola, her friend pointed out she was “doing it wrong”. Joanna elucidated the existence of a “double ring” on the bottle – meaning one ring secures the entire cap to the bottle and another connects just to the cork.

With a swift motion, she illustrated how you’re meant to pull the cork over the top of the bottle so that it dangles down the side, clear of your mouth. Impressively, there’s still a ring intact, ensuring the cap remains on the bottle.

This technique enables unobstructed sipping without the cap getting in the way, and importantly, it allows for the bottle and cap to be recycled together. This hack left other TikTok users astonished, with one exclaiming: “I found this out the other day and I was like [mind-blown emoji]”.

Another shared: “I only found out about this a couple of days ago, much easier. Thank goodness for grandchildren show Granny how its done!!” Meanwhile, a third user expressed their gratitude: “Thank you, I didn’t know either.”