Why Dairy Brands Still Choose Glass

Sustainability

While the initial cost of manufacturing and supplying glass bottles is more, they are sustainable and recyclable. Well made glass bottles are durable and reusable. Most dairies that use glass bottles offer a return program, where they wash and reuse the glass bottles they sell, meaning they can get several times the use of a bottle they paid for once. Depending on the success of the return program, this could offset the initial price of the bottle.

When a glass bottle is no longer fit to be reused, it is more recyclable than any plastic or paper alternative. Glass milk bottles are more likely to end up in the recycling bin than plastic or paper ones, because people are more conscious about how they recycle glass.

Additionally, glass has an endless recycling lifecycle, which means if it is disposed of correctly it can be recycled an infinite amount of times. For comparison, plastic milk bottles made from High-Density Polyethylene (plastic #2) can generally be recycled back into milk bottles 1 to 3 times before the plastic degrades too much to maintain food-grade quality. From there, it can become different plastic products, such as plastic lumber or outdoor furniture.

Milk cartons are also recycled, and can be made into various paper or tissue products approximately 5 to 7 times before the fibers are too weak to form new paper products.