![Dairy Crest Semi Skimmed Milk Bottle](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a9/Dairy_Crest_Semi_Skimmed_Milk_Bottle.jpg)
Glass milk bottles are
glass bottle
A glass bottle is a bottle made from glass. Glass bottles can vary in size considerably, but are most commonly found in sizes ranging between about 200 millilitres and 1.5 litres. Common uses for glass bottles include food condiments, soda, liq ...
s used for
milk
Milk is a white liquid food produced by the mammary glands of mammals. It is the primary source of nutrition for young mammals (including breastfed human infants) before they are able to digest solid food. Immune factors and immune-modula ...
and they are generally reusable and returnable. Milk bottles are used mainly for doorstep delivery of fresh
milk
Milk is a white liquid food produced by the mammary glands of mammals. It is the primary source of nutrition for young mammals (including breastfed human infants) before they are able to digest solid food. Immune factors and immune-modula ...
by
milkmen as retail store sale is available in some regions (with
bottle deposit). After customers have finished the milk, they are expected to rinse the empty bottles and leave them on the doorstep for collection or return it to the retail store. The standard size of a bottle varies with location, common sizes are
pint
The pint (, ; symbol pt, sometimes abbreviated as ''p'') is a unit of volume or capacity in both the imperial and United States customary measurement systems. In both of those systems it is traditionally one eighth of a gallon. The British impe ...
,
quart
The quart (symbol: qt) is an English unit of volume equal to a quarter gallon. Three kinds of quarts are currently used: the liquid quart and dry quart of the US customary system and the of the British imperial system. All are roughly equ ...
,
litre
The litre (international spelling) or liter (American English spelling) (SI symbols L and l, other symbol used: ℓ) is a metric unit of volume. It is equal to 1 cubic decimetre (dm3), 1000 cubic centimetres (cm3) or 0.001 cubic metre (m3 ...
, etc.
More recently,
plastic bottles
A plastic bottle is a bottle constructed from high-density or low density plastic. Plastic bottles are typically used to store liquids such as water, soft drinks, motor oil, cooking oil, medicine, shampoo, milk, and ink. The size ranges from v ...
have been commonly used for milk. These are often made of
high-density polyethylene
High-density polyethylene (HDPE) or polyethylene high-density (PEHD) is a thermoplastic polymer produced from the monomer ethylene. It is sometimes called "alkathene" or "polythene" when used for HDPE pipes. With a high strength-to-density ratio, ...
(HDPE), which is used only once, and are easily
recyclable
Recycling is the process of converting waste materials into new materials and objects. The recovery of energy from waste materials is often included in this concept. The recyclability of a material depends on its ability to reacquire the p ...
. Other
plastic milk container
Plastic milk containers are plastic containers for storing, shipping and dispensing milk. Plastic bottles, sometimes called jugs, have largely replaced glass bottles for home consumption. Glass milk bottles have traditionally been reusable whi ...
s are also in use.
History
Before the emergence of milk bottles,
milkmen would fill the customer's jugs. For many collectors, milk bottles carry a nostalgic quality of a previous era. The most prized milk bottles are embossed or pyroglazed (painted) with names of dairies on them, which were used for home delivery of milk so that the milk bottles could find their way back to their respective dairies.
![Milk Bottles of the Late 19th century](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/31/Milk_Bottles_of_the_Late_19th_century.jpg)
It is not clear when the first milk bottles came into use. Extending from the 1860s to the 1890s, there were several experimental "jars" that were not patented but, were used to carry milk. The milk jar of the Tuthill Milk Company/Tuthill's Dairy of Unionville is an example of one of these early jars that features a ground lip and a pontiled base. Other early milk jars during this time include the Mackworh "Pure Jersey Cream" crockery jar, the Manorfield Stock Farm jar, the Manor, and the PA wide-mouth jar. In 1878, George Henry Lester patented the first glass jar intended to hold milk.
This jar featured a glass lid that was held on the jar by a metal clamp. In the same year that Lester invented his milk jar, the Brooklyn milk dealer Alex Campbell is credited with first selling milk in experimental glass bottles. These bottles likely did not resemble common milk bottles.
![Glass milk bottle cardboard cap and opener](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/30/Glass_milk_bottle_cardboard_cap_and_opener.jpg)
Lewis P. Whiteman held the first patent for a glass milk bottle with a small glass lid and a tin clip. Following this, the next earliest patent is for a milk bottle with a dome-type tin cap and was granted on September 23, 1884 to Whiteman's brother, Abram V. Whiteman. The Whiteman brothers produced milk bottles based on these specifications at the Warren Glass Works Company in
Cumberland, Maryland
Cumberland is a U.S. city in and the county seat of Allegany County, Maryland. It is the primary city of the Cumberland, MD-WV Metropolitan Statistical Area. At the 2020 census, the city had a population of 19,076. Located on the Potomac River, ...
and sold them through their New York sales office.
The Original Thatcher is one of the most desirable milk bottles for collectors. The patent for the glass dome lid is dated April 27, 1886. There are several variations of this early milk bottle and many reproductions. During this time period, many types of bottles were being used to hold and distribute milk. These include a pop bottle type with a wire clamp, used by the Chicago Sterilized Milk Company, Sweet Clover, and others. Fruit jars were also used, but only the Cohansey Glass Manufacturing plant made them with dairy names embossed on them.
The Commonsense Milk Bottle with the first cap seat was developed as an economical means for sealing a reusable milk bottle by the Thatcher Manufacturing Company around 1900. Most bottles produced after this time have a cap seat.
By the 1920s, glass milk bottles had become the norm in the UK after slowly being introduced from the US before
World War I
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
.
Milk bottles before the 1930s were round in shape. In 1935 slender-neck bottles were introduced in the UK.
In the 1940s, a square squat bottle became the more popular style. Milk bottles since the 1930s have used pyroglaze or ACL (Applied Color Label) to identify the bottles. Before the 1930s, names were embossed on milk bottles using a slug plate. The name was impressed on the slug plate, then it was inserted into the mold used to make the bottle – the result was the embossed name on the bottle. In 1980 a new bottle, nicknamed "dumpy," was introduced in the UK where it remains the standard now.
During the Second World War misuse or hoarding of milk bottles was made illegal in the United Kingdom. 2.5 million bottles were rescued. Milk Vessels Recovery Limited was founded in 1920 and engaged in recovery of aluminum bottle tops.
From the 1960s onward in the United States, with improvements in shipping and storage materials, glass bottles have almost completely been replaced with either
LDPE coated paper cartons or recyclable
HDPE
High-density polyethylene (HDPE) or polyethylene high-density (PEHD) is a thermoplastic polymer produced from the monomer ethylene. It is sometimes called "alkathene" or "polythene" when used for HDPE pipes. With a high strength-to-density ratio, ...
plastic containers (such as
square milk jugs), depending on the brand. These paper and plastic containers are lighter, cheaper and safer to both manufacture and ship to consumers.
In 1975, 94% of milk in the UK was in glass bottles, but as of 2012 this number was down to 4%.
There are concerns among a few Americans as to the quality and safety of industrialized milk. The local non-homogenized milk industry has seen a popular resurgence in certain markets in the US in the last decade or so. Because of this, the use of glass bottles in local or regional, non-industrial milk distribution has become an increasingly common sight.
Chronology
*1880 –
British
British may refer to:
Peoples, culture, and language
* British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies.
** Britishness, the British identity and common culture
* British English, ...
milk bottles were first produced by the Express Dairy Company, these were delivered by
horse
The horse (''Equus ferus caballus'') is a domesticated, one-toed, hoofed mammal. It belongs to the taxonomic family Equidae and is one of two extant subspecies of ''Equus ferus''. The horse has evolved over the past 45 to 55 million yea ...
-drawn
carts
A cart or dray (Australia and New Zealand) is a vehicle designed for transport, using two wheels and normally pulled by one or a pair of draught animals. A handcart is pulled or pushed by one or more people.
It is different from the flatbed ...
. The first bottles used a
porcelain
Porcelain () is a ceramic material made by heating substances, generally including materials such as kaolinite, in a kiln to temperatures between . The strength and translucence of porcelain, relative to other types of pottery, arises main ...
stopper top held on by wire. Lewis Whiteman patents the glass milk bottle with a glass lid.
*1884 – Dr. Thatcher invents the glass milk container in New York. These were initially sealed with wooden plugs, which proved unsuccessful, and were soon replaced by glass stoppers.
*1894 –
Anthony Hailwood
Anthony Hailwood (4 July 1838 – 24 June 1922) was the first person to sell sterilised milk in the United Kingdom.
Early life
Hailwood was born in Rochdale''1881 England Census'' and brought up in Salford, Lancashire, where he worked as a milk b ...
developed the
milk pasteurisation process to create sterilized milk, which could be safely stored for longer periods.
*1920 –
Advertisements began to appear on milk bottles. A sand-blasting technique was used to etch them on the glass.
*1930s – Increased prevalence of
battery electric vehicle
A battery electric vehicle (BEV), pure electric vehicle, only-electric vehicle, fully electric vehicle or all-electric vehicle is a type of electric vehicle (EV) that exclusively uses chemical energy stored in rechargeable battery packs, ...
s as
milk float
A milk float is a vehicle specifically designed for the delivery of fresh milk. Today, milk floats are usually battery electric vehicles (BEV), but they were formerly horse-drawn floats. They were once common in many European countries, ...
s
*mid-1950s –
Paperboard tops were deemed unhygienic and banned in some locations. Delivery by
horse
The horse (''Equus ferus caballus'') is a domesticated, one-toed, hoofed mammal. It belongs to the taxonomic family Equidae and is one of two extant subspecies of ''Equus ferus''. The horse has evolved over the past 45 to 55 million yea ...
-drawn
carts was still common.
*early-1990s – The advertising largely disappeared with the introduction of infrared bottle scanners designed to check cleanliness.
Present day
In some locations around the world, different colored tops on milk bottles indicate the fat content. Unpasteurized is often green-topped. However other colour designations may be used by some dairies. Bottles may also be marked, stamped or embossed with the name of the dairy.
In the
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the European mainland, continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...
, the aluminium foil tops on glass milk bottles are normally coloured:
Historically, other colors such as Pink for Ultra-High Temperature (UHT) processed milk, were also used.
Blue was previously used for so termed, 'sterilized' milk.
Modern dairies may also use refillable plastic bottles, as well as plastic bottle tops. The colour coding for plastic milk bottle tops can be different from that of glass bottles. In the
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the European mainland, continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...
, the plastic tops on plastic milk bottles are normally coloured:
In the
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the European mainland, continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...
, milk sold to the door comes in
imperial pints. However, sterilized milk sold to the door typically comes in 500 ml glass bottles, which are 'non-returnable' and have colour coded lids that match the colour codes normally seen on plastic bottles. Milk which is sold in returnable containers, such as glass bottles, are not required to be labelled in metric units. Milk which is sold in pre-packaged containers that are non-returnable must be labelled in metric units. In the supermarkets, bottled milk mostly comes in a pint or multiples of a pint, and are also labelled in metric equivalents.
With lower milk consumption, milk in Hong Kong is sold in both glass and plastic bottles as well as in cartons. The glass milk bottles are sold in supermarkets, convenience stores and in small restaurants. The glass milk bottle carries a deposit of 1 Hong Kong dollar. More commonly available in the market in glass milk bottles are
Kowloon Dairy and
Trappist Dairy with different shaped glass milk bottles with both in school bottle size.
Orange juice and other fruit juices are also sold in doorstep deliveries in the same style of bottle used for milk. Typically these have an aluminium foil top colour coded to indicate the flavour.
In some countries (e.g. Estonia and some provinces of
Canada
Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...
), it is common to buy milk in a
milk bag.
While the proportion of sales in milk bags in the
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the European mainland, continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...
is quite low, semi-skimmed milk is sold in bags by Dairy Crest/Milk and More, and in Sainsbury's supermarket it is available in whole-milk, semi-skimmed-milk and skimmed-milk options. However supermarket availability is limited to larger branches.
School milk bottles
![Glass School Milk Bottle](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d3/Glass_School_Milk_Bottle.jpg)
Small third-of-a-pint glass milk bottles were developed in the United Kingdom during the mid-20th century in order to supply milk to children attending primary school. They were the most common form of packaging for school milk in the early 1970s, but have been gradually superseded by third pint cartons and plastic bottles. Leicester, South Tyneside, Leeds, and Kirklees
were the last local authorities where school milk was supplied in third of a pint glass bottles until the dairies ceased using them in 2007.
Children usually drank their milk using a straw inserted into the bottle.
See also
*
Milk bag
*
Packaging
*
Reuse of bottles
A reusable bottle is a bottle that can be reused, as in the case as by the original bottler or by end-use consumers. Reusable bottles have grown in popularity by consumers for both environmental and health safety reasons. Reusable bottles are one e ...
*
Plastic milk container
Plastic milk containers are plastic containers for storing, shipping and dispensing milk. Plastic bottles, sometimes called jugs, have largely replaced glass bottles for home consumption. Glass milk bottles have traditionally been reusable whi ...
*
Beverage opener {{Unreferenced, date=June 2019, bot=noref (GreenC bot)
A beverage opener (also known as a multi-opener) is a device used to open beverage cans, plastic bottles or glass bottles, which are the three most common beverage containers.
Types
Bevera ...
References
*
External links
{{DEFAULTSORT:Milk Bottle
Glass bottles
Bottle
A bottle is a narrow-necked container made of an impermeable material (such as glass, plastic or aluminium) in various shapes and sizes that stores and transports liquids. Its mouth, at the bottling line, can be sealed with an internal stop ...