Why did they get rid of the glass milk bottles that the milkman delivered?

Novella · 19-08-2009 7:12pm

Trail_Blazer wrote: »

I was astounded to find that in the UK they still have milk men that deliver milk to your door. I couldn't believe it!

What?! In the UK?! Still?!
I have a milkman who delivers milk to my door!

the_syco · 19-08-2009 7:15pm

Novella wrote: »

What?! In the UK?! Still?!
I have a milkman who delivers milk to my door!

Likewise.

Poor Uncle Tom · 19-08-2009 7:21pm

Hagar wrote: »

Don't be silly of course they were. I went to one in 19**. Well let's just say a long, long time before that.
Anyone else remember getting the little 1/3 pint glass bottles of milk in school at lunchtime?

Actually, they were probably around in my time as well 1960's. Just not around in the rural area I was toddeling around in..:)

Jesus Wept · 19-08-2009 7:22pm

Amberjack wrote: »

I remember in nursery school (laye 70's) we used to collect the foil tops and they were sent off to orphanages in Africa or other 3rd world places.

They love those foil tops!
What did they do with them?

Trail_Blazer · 19-08-2009 7:23pm

Excuse me - In the UK and Ireland.

Novella · 19-08-2009 7:24pm

Trail_Blazer wrote: »

Excuse me - In the UK and Ireland.

Muuuuch better, thank you!

Trail_Blazer · 19-08-2009 7:29pm

Getting used to the idea that not the entire Irish island is "UK Property" so to speak. I mean I've always known that - It was just easier for my ignorant yankee ass to categorize the whole thing as "UK". Now if only countries like Scotland, Wales and Australia can entirely break free from the United Kingdom to become their own independant countries, that'd be nice.

Pyr0 · 19-08-2009 7:36pm

We've a guy who goes around delivering milk to the area at about 14 euro a week for three litres a day (2 normal, 1 skimmed)

Jesus Wept · 19-08-2009 7:37pm

Trail_Blazer wrote: »

Getting used to the idea that not the entire Irish island is "UK Property" so to speak. I mean I've always known that - It was just easier for my ignorant yankee ass to categorize the whole thing as "UK".

Don't worry about it, all you mexicans make the same mistake.

Trail_Blazer · 19-08-2009 7:40pm

Yeah, but I'm not a Mexican.

Joey the lips · 19-08-2009 7:41pm

Cost! Simple! oh and I agree bottles taste better. I also liked the milk more with the cream in it. It was massive on porridge in the winter. Yum Yum

ScumLord · 19-08-2009 7:42pm

Wertz wrote: »

20-25 yrs depending on where you are in the country...

Wa it fup that long ago, I would only have been 9, umm, maybe it was. I also own two pairs of slippers so maybe it was that long ago.

I don't see how the cost of renewable glass bottles could really exceed that of disposables cartons. Over time that is.

phantom_lord · 19-08-2009 8:01pm

Trail_Blazer wrote: »

Yeah, but I'm not a Mexican.

whoooosh

Wertz wrote: »

20-25 yrs depending on where you are in the country...

nah, they were still doing it about 15 years ago. i remember them from when i was a kid.

Hagar · 19-08-2009 8:24pm

Trail_Blazer wrote: »

Getting used to the idea that not the entire Irish island is "UK Property" so to speak.

Do they deliver cans of worms where you live? :pac:

holly1 · 19-08-2009 8:27pm

Does anyone rember the gold tops,we used to collect them,silver and gold and decorate the (dare I say it)Christmas tree with them.It looked great.I cant rember what the gold tops were for.

Ann22 · 19-08-2009 8:35pm

Gold tops are familiar. I remember when they'd be red with little green sprigs of holly on them at Christmastime:).
I always shook the bottles to mix the cream with the milk, one day i tasted the thick cream from the top without shaking it and realised how delish it was and what I'd been missing..then they stopped the bottles and started with those impossible to open cartons:mad:.
My mam still has a milkman who delivers a few times a week, she lives beside Tesco and ends up buying more there. She hasn't the heart to cancel the milkman...even tho' some mf keeps robbing the cartons off the step:mad:.

Wertz · 19-08-2009 8:37pm

phantom_lord wrote: »

whoooosh

nah, they were still doing it about 15 years ago. i remember them from when i was a kid.

Up my end of the country milk started coming in those horrible plasticky bottles when I was about 10 or 11...but in my cousins in Dublin they were still getting them in 90-91, I think. Depended on the dairy.

Nevyn · 19-08-2009 8:38pm

Milk men still do exist.

Hagar wrote: »

Anyone else remember getting the little 1/3 pint glass bottles of milk in school at lunchtime?

Yes, they were gotten rid of like 24 years ago.

I have a italia 90 commemorative bottle and a millennium one too.

rubadub · 19-08-2009 8:48pm

thomond2006 wrote: »

The glass bottles had UHT milk, but nobody likes that because it's sh1te. :pac:

I never heard of UHT in glass bottles. What county were you in? what brand. All the bottles I saw were premier dairies IIRC.

SEPT 23 1989 wrote: »

the birds used to peck through the foil

We used to leave empty yoghurt lids out to be put on top, some people had fancy containers with fold down lids to stop them.

swingking wrote: »

In fact, I remember one time he delivered a bottle of orange juice in the same type of bottle. Anyone else get this?

We used to nick them when staggering home pissed the next morning, it was well known which houses had them. Then I remember when somebody had a "free house" somebody would put a not outside a (bastard) neighbours house with a note saying "can you leave a orange juice out jimmy", and we would go nick it. Rarely worked since the pissed lad putting out notes would end up scrawling it and putting down 6 bottles & a load of yogurts or something stupid!

Jenroche wrote: »

I also remember the Millenium milk bottles. In fact I think my Mam and Dad still have theirs. Wonder if it's a collector's item now?

I have one too. pic here http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3271/2551730948_5b4974dc65.jpg?v=0

holly1 wrote: »

Does anyone rember the gold tops,we used to collect them,silver and gold and decorate the (dare I say it)Christmas tree with them.It looked great.I cant rember what the gold tops were for.

We got little christmas trees on the tops around xmas too. Dunno what the gold meant, some meant skimmed & low fat.

silvine · 19-08-2009 8:55pm

I can confirm milkmen still exist, hired one two months ago. No glass bottles though so i'm guessing they don't or never did exist.

Abi · 19-08-2009 9:19pm

SEPT 23 1989 wrote: »

the birds used to peck through the foil

Feckin birds again :mad:

Trail_Blazer · 19-08-2009 10:00pm

Hagar wrote: »

Do they deliver cans of worms where you live? :pac:

No sir, they do not.

ejmaztec · 19-08-2009 10:30pm

Trail_Blazer wrote: »

No sir, they do not.

They use Tetra-Pak now.

Jeanious · 19-08-2009 10:54pm

Thaedydal wrote: »

I have an italia 90 commemorative bottle and a millennium one too.

Three of the things that are comin with me to Hades are my Millennium milk bottle, my Italia '90 milk bottle and my other Italia '90 milk bottle (there was 2 types!)

My oul granda had to build a little box with MILK painted on it to keep the feckin birds away from it!

I do indeed also remember the orange juice bottles, never had one now but one of my neighbours used to get it fairly regularly. As well as that, i remember readin the little pink receipt that they used to give ya, and being amazed at all the weird and wonderful things you could get from them; cream, orange juice, milk, yoghurt, eggs (wtf?!!)....made all the more interesting by the fact that i never heard of anyone ever getting any of these (well apart from the orange and milk, obviously!)

And in my neck of the woods, we still got milk delivered in 96/97 at an educated guess.

Ah the memories!

Splendour · 19-08-2009 11:23pm

rubadub wrote: »

I
We used to leave empty yoghurt lids out to be put on top, some people had fancy containers with fold down lids to stop them.

Ah, this thread is bringing back memories...

My dad was a milkman and wheras I loved going out on the round with him, I hated when people put out yogurt cartons to cover their bottles; it totally slowed us down! Didn't mind a one piece thing but them bloomin' individual things drove me crazy!
Another thing I hated was when people didn't wash their bottles 'cos we had to put our fingers in 'em to pick them up-ugh!

I imagine it's awkward delivering tetra paks. Bottles were so handy to grab out of the crates-four to each hand. Mind you, I also remember the bitter cold winter mornings (insert violin music here...) when it was very difficult to get the fingers working!

Still, we could drink as much milk as we wanted (including the green top full fat Jersey milk-yum) and the tips when doing the weekend collections weren't half bad

Latchy · 20-08-2009 12:10am

When all the little birdies died off from polution they had no need for the milk bottles anymore

Thaedydal wrote: »

I have a italia 90 commemorative bottle .

I have that one to and saw one for sale on EBAY a few months back .

Gummy Panda · 20-08-2009 12:15am

I believe the Living Daylights put doubt about milkmen into the general public

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3ALURJwc99Q

PunkFreud · 20-08-2009 1:26am

You get milk delivered to your door?

Electric Sheep · 20-08-2009 1:33am

Does anyone remember a brief fad in the 70s for milk delivered in plastic bags that you put in a special jug? Good idea in theory, in practice the crows soon started pecking them and bursting them. We all had to put biscuit tins up a the gate for the milk to evade the crow damage.

Or, even before that, milk in the shops in those pyramid shaped cartons that supposedly kept them fresh longer? Problem was, shop had no fridge for them, so they still went sour in 24 hours or under in the summer.

grenache · 20-08-2009 2:49am

We got our milk straight from the bulk tank! Fresh from the cows tits! None of this pasteurisation mullarky

Why did they get rid of the glass milk bottles that the milkman delivered?

Comments