Why glass milk bottles still have a place on the doorstep

We were saddened to hear Dairy Crest's announcement last week that they will be closing the company’s last glass milk bottle plant. While the move highlights the pressure to reduce costs, we wondered at the wisdom of this decision.

While cost will always be a crucial element in packaging choices, so surely is health, taste and environmentally friendliness, not to mention customer preference? When considering all these factors, we believe glass milk bottles still deserve a place on the doorstep. They require no chemicals layers that can leach into the milk, they guarantee a fresh, taint-free taste and of course can be endlessly and 100% recycled without loss of quality. Also the claim that plastic is better for the environment than glass just doesn’t add up when considering the whole life cycle of each material.

It seems we are not alone in our disappointment at Dairy Crest’s announcement. We found plenty of support for glass milk bottles, including these from readers of top trade magazine The Grocer.

“Why does nobody ever consult the customer? I bet most people paying more for a doorstep delivery do it for two reasons, one to keep milkmen in a job and two because they like the idea of the bottles being used over and over again” – Steve

“Please, Dairy Crest, keep the glass milk bottles. I seek to avoid plastic as much as I can. Glass bottles are reusable and do not taint the milk” – Val

“Dairy Crest is behind the curve on the fashion for all things retro. Have they surveyed their home delivery customers? – Shane

“Terrible decision – I do not understand why customers have not been consulted as we are the reason for this service to exist in the first place” – Paul

And as Dairy Crest itself says on its website:

“There is nothing quite like fresh, cold milk straight from a glass bottle on your breakfast cereal”

What do you think, is Dairy Crest right to end their production of glass milk bottles? Let us know in the comments below or get in touch on twitter @friendsglassuk or Facebook.

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