Milk float back as bottles wage war on pinta plastic
AMILKMAN says he’s seen such a surge in sales that he’s spent thousands refurbishing a 45-year-old milk float to meet demand – and it’s all thanks to the war on plastic waste.
Mark Woodman, 56, set up Woodman’s Dairy in Rumney in 1983 after completing a degree in business.
And business is booming after the Prime Minister announced plans to eliminate plastic waste by 2042 – with Mark struggling to keep up with new customers wanting to ditch the supermarkets and get their milk delivered in glass bottles instead.
The father of four said: “This week and this last week we’ve been inundated with phone calls asking us if we deliver glass bottles.
“We’ve had 50 to 100 people call in this week, with 30 to 40 new customers off the internet looking to cut down on their use of plastic.
“It’s great for us – anything that gives us a bit of business back from the supermarkets is really good for us.”
The recent announcement by Theresa May to scrap “all avoidable plastic waste” will see supermarkets forced to remove plastic containers and wrappings from products.
The 25-year Environmental Plan will also pave the way for extra tax on single-use plastic items, such as takeaway tubs, as well as extending the 5p levy on carrier bags to all retailers.
And Mark said it’s meant business is skyrocketing. “We’re having a real resurgence over the last couple of years,” he said.
“We’re up 30% over the last couple of years, and a lot of people are having their milk delivered.
“We’re selling about 12,000 glass bottles a week.”
Now demand is so high Mark has spent £3,000 refurbishing a 45-yearold milk float to its original state, which will now be used on the Rumney route in the city.
“I used to have a lot of them,” he said. “I used to have five at one time.”
But for Mark, it was also nostalgic to see the vehicle on the road again.
“The round in Rumney, we’ve got enough business to warrant to use a float,” he said.
“But it’s also sentimental value. I still like them.”