Plastic Milk Bags, United Kingdom

An increase in recycling across the UK in recent years has highlighted the need for retailers and suppliers to concentrate on reducing the quantity of packaging for everyday products.

Milk packaging has had a good recycling rate in the past, with glass bottles having the ability to be reused up to 40 times before needing to be recycled.

However, the decline of the doorstep delivery has led to the majority of milk being sold through supermarkets where a variety of packaging formats have been used including Tetra Pak cartons and low density polyethylene plastic milk containers.

While plastic milk cartons can be recycled successfully, estimates suggest only one in four is recycled.

The latest innovation for the packaging of milk uses plastic bags.

GREEN INNOVATION

Plastic milk bags are being championed in the UK by supermarket Waitrose and Wales' Calon Wen Organic Milk Co-operative.

Calon Wen has worked out that if milk bags were introduced, they would save over 100,000t of plastic waste going to landfills.

Two other Welsh companies, South Caernarfon Creameries and Tomlinson’s Dairies, have started selling milk in 2pt bags in their local areas, reviving doorstep deliveries. Doorstep storage trays and storage jugs have been provided.

The bags use 75% less plastic than a normal plastic milk carton and can be manufactured from a biodegradable plastic which breaks down in six to nine months.

BAG HISTORY

The concept of milk sold in bags was tried by the Co-op in the UK in the 1970’s without success. The Channel Islands also introduced the concept in the late 1970’s but fell out of favour, being replaced by one of the Tetra Pak family of cartons.

However, the format is successfully used in India and Canada, where 65% of all fresh milk is sold in bags.

The milk is purchased in 1l bags to fit a reusable plastic jug, which must be purchased separately.

Once the bag is placed in the jug, a corner is snipped off with a scissors. When the bag is empty it can be recycled.

TRIAL

In the summer of 2007, Waitrose conducted a trial of the milk bags across 21 of its stores in Wales, Bath and London.

The 1l bags will cost a little more than the equivalent plastic packaged variety at 91p. The reusable jug requires an investment of £1.99.

Response has been positive and the milk bag is being rolled out to 50 Waitrose stores (February 2008) around the UK.

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