![Square milk jug side](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/71/Square_milk_jug_side.JPG)
The square milk jug is a variant of the plastic
gallon
The gallon is a unit of volume in imperial units and United States customary units. Three different versions are in current use:
*the imperial gallon (imp gal), defined as , which is or was used in the United Kingdom, Ireland, Canada, Austral ...
(3.785 litres) container of
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 digestion, digest solid food. Immune factors and immune ...
commonly sold in the United States.
The design was introduced in the summer of 2008
and is marketed as
environmentally friendly
Environment friendly processes, or environmental-friendly processes (also referred to as eco-friendly, nature-friendly, and green), are sustainability and marketing terms referring to goods and services, laws, guidelines and policies that clai ...
because of the shape's advantages for shipping and storage (better cube efficiency).
Square milk jugs are stackable and 9% more can be shipped in the same space.
They also eliminate the need for
milk crate
Milk crates are square or rectangular interlocking boxes that are used to transport milk and other products from dairies to retail establishments.
In English-speaking parts of Europe the term "bottle crate" is more common but in the United Sta ...
s, which are required for traditional bell-shaped jugs.
Pouring technique
The technique used to pour milk from a square milk jug is different from that of a traditional milk jug. A Sam's Club representative suggests "tilt it slowly and pour slowly"
and a dairy owner in
Yerington, Nevada
Yerington is a city in Lyon County, Nevada, United States. The population was 3,048 at the 2010 census. It is the current county seat of Lyon County, with the first county seat having been established at Dayton on November 29, 1861. It is nam ...
, where some square milk jugs are filled, described the pouring technique as "rock-and-pour instead of a lift-and-tip".
Design
Environmental benefits and cost savings are the primary stated benefits of square milk jugs, although there are noticeable trade-offs.
Because more milk fits on each truck, shipping costs can be reduced by half; this reduces the number of trucks on the road each year by 11000 (US estimate). Stores that required five shipments per week in traditional containers now only require two, resulting in lower fuel consumption.
Instead of being packed in reusable crates, the square jugs are shrink wrapped for shipment; however, the hundreds of square feet of single-use polyethylene film "stretch wrap" used on each pallet raises significant new environmental concerns. If one pallet uses approximately 175 linear feet of film, a 40 x 48 inch pallet 6 feet tall will hold 80 cubic feet or 360 gallons of milk (given 4.5 gallons of milk per cubic foot), and require 1,056 square feet of film, equaling just under 3 square feet of film per gallon.
Only around 5% of stretch wrap is actually recycled; the remainder contributes to significant environmental fallout.
Manufacturers claim that this rectangular design has cut water use by 67% to 70%, according to one
dairy
A dairy is a business enterprise established for the harvesting or processing (or both) of animal milk – mostly from cows or buffaloes, but also from goats, sheep, horses, or camels – for human consumption. A dairy is typically located on ...
, since there are no crates to be cleaned; the absence of dirty crates also reduces the risk of jugs carrying contamination.
Impact
Critics of square milk jugs have noted increased spillage and difficulty pouring.
This is a problem specific to the Gallon size that has a much larger mass when first opened.
There are also cost advantages resulting from lower shipping costs for the retailer and these can be passed on to the consumer. The cost to a consumer of a gallon of milk in a square milk jug is 10¢ to 20¢ cheaper than a gallon of milk in a traditional milk jug.
![Milk jug top](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/87/Milk_jug_top.png)
Because square milk jugs can be stacked, they require less labor at the dairy, and can be packaged more quickly, which allows the milk to be shipped sooner, providing fresher milk to the retailer.
The wide mouth is also easier to fill which reduces the likelihood of spillage and the sanitary issues caused by milk getting on the container.
The shape of the jug also allows more milk to be stored in a milk
cooler
A cooler, portable ice chest, ice box, cool box, chilly bin (in New Zealand), or esky ( Australia) is an insulated box used to keep food or drink cool.
Ice cubes are most commonly placed in it to help the contents inside stay cool. Ice packs a ...
. One Sam's Club store reported fitting 224
square gallon jugs in an area that only held 80 traditional one gallon jugs.
Reception
Square milk jugs have been adopted by some
Wal-Mart
Walmart Inc. (; formerly Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.) is an American multinational retail corporation that operates a chain of hypermarkets (also called supercenters), discount department stores, and grocery stores from the United States, headquarter ...
,
Costco
Costco Wholesale Corporation (doing business as Costco Wholesale and also known simply as Costco) is an American multinational corporation which operates a chain of membership-only big-box retail stores (warehouse club). As of 2022, Costco i ...
and
Sam's Club
Sam's West, Inc. (doing business as Sam's Club) is an American chain of membership-only retail warehouse clubs owned and operated by Walmart Inc., founded in 1983 and named after Walmart founder Sam Walton as Sam’s Wholesale Club. , Sam's Cl ...
stores.
Consumers have criticized the square milk jug for being difficult to pour, especially for children.
When tilted shallowly, the larger opening (larger than a traditional milk jug), combined with its small lip, generates a wide stream of milk.
This causes spills and leaks onto the sides of the container.
Some Sam's Club stores offered lessons on pouring, complete with complimentary cookies.
Concern was also raised on the issue of the narrower base of the square jug, which allows it to be stored in the door of many refrigerators. Milk stored in this area may be more prone to spoiling due to frequent drastic changes in temperature.
See also
*
Milk bag
A milk bag is a plastic bag that contains milk. Usually one of the corners is cut off to allow for pouring, and the bag is stored in a pitcher or jug.
A typical milk bag contains approximately of milk in South America, Iran, Israel, and conti ...
*
Milk bottle
Glass milk bottles are glass bottles used for milk and they are generally reusable and returnable. Milk bottles are used mainly for doorstep delivery of fresh milk by milkmen as retail store sale is available in some regions (with bottle de ...
*
Packaging and labeling
Packaging is the science, art and technology of enclosing or protecting products for distribution, storage, sale, and use. Packaging also refers to the process of designing, evaluating, and producing packages. Packaging can be described as a co ...
*
Water canister
A water container, water canister or water can is a medium-sized portable container for transport, storage and use of water. Large plastic bottles are sometimes called "canisters". Water canisters can for example be used for drinking water, wastew ...
References
External links
*
{{Packaging
Milk containers
Liquid containers