Glass milk bottles make a comeback

Dairy firms across the UK have seen a surge in demand for milk in glass bottles since the start of 2018.

Seventeen out of 20 dairy businesses contacted by BBC News have seen a rise in sales of glass milk bottles to homes and businesses amid concern over plastic waste.

Some have seen existing customers making a switch from plastic to glass.

Others have been contacted by new customers wanting to take delivery of glass bottles.

The boost is reaching firms up and down the country:

• Thomsons in Lanarkshire has seen a 7% increase in demand for glass since January
• Acorn in County Durham and Brecon Milk in South Wales have had a 10% rise in demand
• Pensworth distributes milk across the South of England and Wales from nine depots. The 7% rise in glass sales since January has meant they're investing in a new production line
• Creamline in Manchester have signed up more than 1,000 new customers, with most of that growth coming from online orders
• In Carmarthen, Nigel Dragone of Nigel's Dairy has doubled glass bottle deliveries from about 4,000 to almost 9,000 a week. "We feel like we've won the lottery," he said.

The largest deliverer is Muller-owned Milk & More. Two-thirds of the bottles they send out on their floats are glass and this is a big growth area for the business.

"Since the start of the year, Milk & More has had an additional 15,000 new online customers, of which 90% are ordering milk in glass bottles," the firm says.