The return of the milkman

Deliveries of glass pintas surge five-fold

IT is a scene reminiscent of a bygone era, when the early-morning calm was broken by the clinking bottles of the milk float.

But dairy bosses in Scotland have revealed that the traditional glass milk bottle is making a comeback – thanks to environmental shows such as Blue Planet.

The impact of the climate change argument put forward by Sir David Attenborough has contributed to a five-fold increase in the number of people demanding glass bottles instead of plastic.

Family business McQueen’s Dairies, based in Glasgow, is now delivering 170,000 glass milk bottles per week, compared to 30,000 two years ago,

Founded in 1995 by married couple Mick and Meg McQueen, the business is hiring staff to cope with the demand, with 150 milkmen and women employed across Scotland. The couple’s five children are in charge of regional depots across the country.

The firm’s digital marketing manager Pauline Quigley said: ‘Since David Attenborough’s programmes Blue Planet and Planet Earth investigated the impact single-use plastic is having in our oceans, we have seen a huge increase in glass inquiries from new and existing customers.

‘Across Scotland, our glass sales have increased five-fold within the past two years. Our main focus has always been supplying milk directly to the doorstep. Business has increased significantly, allowing us to open a depot in Galashiels and expand deliveries in the Borders.’

Early-morning milk rounds began to die out in the 1990s, when shoppers switched to buying plastic containers rather than the traditional glass bottles which could be refilled.

But conscientious consumers are reversing the trend in an attempt to cut down on waste.

Before the emergence of milk bottles, milkmen would fill jugs provided by customers.

In 1975, 94 per cent of milk in the UK was delivered to the doorstep in glass bottles, but by 2012 this had fallen to only 4 per cent.