Milkman/woman bring them back subsidised?

Question

I mean the recycled bottles, quiet electric buggies and whistling type.

Sustainable?

Social?

What do you recon?

Answer 1

We still have a milkman delivering pints of milk in glass bottles on an electric milk float. I know the dairy is finding it ever harder to make it pay as more people buy their milk in plastic containers from the supermarket, so the rounds keep getting consolidated.  The milkman used to call 6 days per week, long before any of us were awake so, mercifully, without whistling :-)  Now he calls three days a week.

Milk from the milkman is a little more expensive but it is delivered to the door in recyclable glass bottles, no matter what the weather .... and he will deliver fruit juice, bread, butter and the like if I let the dairy know in advance.

I think the doorstep delivery by a traditional milkman is part of our British heritage and well worth preserving.  Apart from anything else, the convenience outweighs any price difference.

Answer 2

We have had the same milkman for 30 years. We could buy the milk cheaper in the super market, our milkman though has delivered through all kinds of weather, if he has been sick he has got a stand in, we have never been let down.We repay loyalty with loyalty.

Answer 3

yes its just the price, they are being undercut by supermarkets who pay criminally low rates to farmers.

if a glass milk bottle can survive 10 trips (and most do) it passes plastic bottles in the energy stakes, the energy to wash them out is not as much as to make and recycle a plastic one.

we still get ours delivered, 3 times a week, we are lucky.

the supermarket milk is inferior because it has been homogenized. this breaks up the fat globules thats why the cream doesnt rise, the smaller fat particles act more saturated - like, sorry cant remember right word, not so good for you anyway.

also, i used to deliver to several big london dairies, the one with the milk rounds always took the farm assured milk only (the better quality milk).

Answer 4

i am a milkman and yes it is hard but to make an ok wage we need to sell about 500 gallons a week plus  and do! lots of people do still have a milkman but not enough it just means the milkmen are going more and more miles each day to achieve this gallonage but yes milkmen are on the way up

Answer 5

We still have a milkman delivery milk in glass bottles in his little electric buggy.

The milk is a little more expensive that in the shops but only by a few pence and so worth it!

I don't think they need to be subsidised, well not here anyway.

I think where ever I live I will always have a milkman. I like them.

My sons school has milk deliveries for the children too.

Answer 6

my local milk man still picks up my glass pint bottles and uses electric milk floats, doesn't whistle though!

Answer 7

I'm not sure that subsidising an unworkable business model is the way forwards. I would like to see glass milk bottles being reused though. Perhaps this could be done through the more common channels - supermarkets and the like?

Answer 8

Maybe not subsidised, but definitely rewarded and promoted in some way.

Apart from anything else, milk tastes better from a glass bottle!

Answer 9

I get milk from my local dairy farm and

use old collectible bottles. It would be

nice to see the Milk person again!! At

this point subsidized wouldn't make sense

to much going on already, cost allot of

our taxpayer money. Electric milk wagons

that I like. I think my dad's the milk man!

Answer 10

must admit to missing the milkie round here and now I am a pensioner even more so cos you could get eggs and bread etc plus if he/she did not appear too early a little chat

Answer 11

I really miss things like this!

Having the milk lads (we never had a milk girl), laughing and joking and the clanking of the bottles.  I also miss the milkman calling to collect the milk money.

In our village when we were younger we had choices of making bits of money here and there.

Potato picking, fruit picking, newspaper deliveries, milk deliveries, car washing etc.

Nowadys there isn't anything  to do to earn a bob or two.

Yes I miss the Milky!!!

Answer 12

Already exists in far west suburban Chicago area(Aurora,IL) and area towns.  Milk is delivered in 1/2 gallon glass bottles (and also at local stores )  The company makes it work financially by promoting it as a premium to have it in glass,and delivered too! (as well as a bottle deposit ,remember those?)

That being said, it can't be very energy efficient to transport bottles BACK ,wash and sterilize and return to production and it is obviously not economical to do so.  I just don't know if I want my tax dollars supporting this. This voluntary system seems to make sense and puts the burden of cost upon those who choose to support it.