A GLASS ACT! DAIRY JOINS THE FIGHT TO HALT PLASTIC TIDE
I N our throwaway modern society, the fight against the growing menace of plastic waste can seem an impossible one. But one part of Wales is seeing a change in attitude against the scourge of plastic... and the return of milk in glass bottles. Milk is being delivered to shops in old-fashioned glass pint bottles and the quiet coastal village of Aberporth, Ceredigion, which aims to be a plastic-free community, has seen shops swapping plastic milk bottles for traditional glass and plastic straws being replaced by paper ones in a local pub. The campaign is rapidly spreading to communities across West Wales. The campaign Plastic Free Aberporth was launched in November as villagers grew increasingly concerned about the amount of plastic being washed up on the village’s beach. A Carmarthen-based family dairy firm is among the milk suppliers for the village and said the eco-spark created in Aberporth is rapidly gaining momentum and has now rea reached other parts of south-w south-west Wales. Angelo Dragone, of Nigel’s Dairy, based on the outskirts of Car Carmarthen at Cw Cwmffrwd, said id th there is a thirst for or milk in glass bottles es – firstly from an e n v i r o n ment al a l asp aspect and secondly dly for that pang of nosstal talgia and the clat- ter of the white stu stuff in a cold glas glass bottle. In fact the whole campa campaign might just see the return of the milkman on our streets if it conti continues to gather pace. Angelo, whose business has b been supplying South and West Wales with dairy p products for two decades, said said: “We were contacted by a shop sh in Aberporth h that we supply with milk.
“That’s where this all started and it’s really gaining pace, the glass milk bottle is coming back and people really seem to want them on the shelves.”
He added: “So far six shops that we supply have now switched from plastic pints to glass pints and that’s just in the last week.
“We are seeing a big difference, with communities coming together and supporting campaign.
“Our Facebook page has been filled with people asking ‘where can you stock glass milk bottles where I live?’.
“We have even had people ask us for a two-litre glass bottle of milk. We can’t do that, though – imagine the weight?”
Looking at the interest in having milk in glass bottles, Angelo said: “It’s two-fold tw really, people are more aware a of the importance of recyclin recycling and the reusable nature of the glass g bottles.
“Also “Also, there’s something about a glass m milk bottle that perhaps harks the anti-plastic back to people’s youth or days gone by.
“People are telling their children ‘look at this, you haven’t seen a glass milk bottle’.”
Angelo explained: “The way it works is that a shop takes delivery of the glass bottles and customers return them washed for collection by Nigel’s Dairy, who then return them to their supplier, Cotteswold Dairy in Tewkesbury, Gloucestershire.”
They are then steam-cleaned ready for fresh milk and come back on the road to West Wales.
Shops across the area, from Newcastle Emlyn, Brynaman, Carmarthen to Swansea, are now stocking the glass milk bottles.
“But we have also seen the milkmen we supply say that we have doubled their rounds with the interest so high.
“Who knows where this could lead? Milkmen could be returning and be a common sight again.
“We have had 80 calls this week from shops asking if we can supply them with glass bottles.
“We are now delivering 1,200 bottles per day, six days a week.”
The London House Stores in Aberporth has had a growing number of requests from customers for re-usable glass milk bottles and it was then that they turned to the help of Angelo and his dad, Nigel, who has run the Carmarthen dairy for 20 years.
Owner Mike Allen said: “More and more people have started to want their milk in glass bottles and it is partly because of the effort to use less plastic and also the sense of nostalgia.
“On a weekend we have doubled our pint sales since stocking the glass ones.”
The growth of plastic waste has hit the headlines in recent months after veteran naturalist Sir David Attenborough highlighted the problem of plastic pollution in his series Blue Planet II.
He said the experience of making the second series of the hit BBC show revealed the devastating threat posed to oceans by plastic.
The timing of that programme, airing over the festive period, also fell at the right time for the Aberporth’s zero plastic campaign.
As Gail Tudor, who is at the helm of the Aberporth campaign, explained: “I was on a research vessel two months ago around the coast earlier and it opened my eyes to the problem of plastic on the environment and marine life.
“With what was featured on David Attenborough’s series a few weeks ago, it all felt quite timely to kick off this campaign.
“It’s a huge problem and one we cannot solve just here in Aberporth – but if every community does its bit then it will start a bigger ball rolling.”
Who knows where the drive towards a greener West Wales will end? But it’s certainly capturing the hearts and minds of its communities.