Coloured milk caps scrapped

• Clear milk caps are recyclable, reducing the dependency on ‘virgin’ plastic 
• Research by Müller found eight in ten shoppers would choose a clear cap milk option over a coloured one that could not be recycled
• Waitrose and Müller to collaborate further and trial 100% recyclable fresh milk bottles

The move could boost the availability of rHDPE on the market by 1560 tonnes per annum. 

Unlike fully recyclable plastic milk bottles, coloured milk caps cannot currently be recycled back into food-grade packaging. Introducing clear caps enables retention of the material for reuse within the food sector. 

A closed loop system 

With higher demand for rHDPE than supply, by keeping the material within a ‘closed loop’ system, there can be more rHDPE available on the market, further reducing dependency on ‘virgin’ plastic.  

Research conducted by Müller, which buys a fifth of all milk produced on Britain’s farms, shows that consumers support the change if it further improves the availability of food-grade recycled plastic material.  

Müller found that just over half of all shoppers look for the colour of milk caps when selecting their milk in-store, while others either use the different coloured labels, remember the previous location in the fridge or use the fixture signage.  

80% would prefer clear, recyclable caps

But eight out of ten shoppers said, given the choice, that they would choose a bottle of milk which used a clear milk cap that could be recycled into food-grade material, over a coloured one that could not.  

Following years of collaboration with Waitrose and a successful in-house trial, Müller is further partnering with the supermarket to trial in all 331 of its shops, from 4 – 30 April 2022.  

Müller’s fresh milk bottles are manufactured in-house, they are 100% recyclable and contain up to 40% food-grade recycled material. 

A joint commitment to sustainability

Liam McNamara, Commercial Director at Müller Milk & Ingredients, said: “Everyone is thinking more about what they buy, the nutritional benefits, the value it represents and the packaging used.  

“We want to be the partner of choice for our customers, we recognise the commitments they are making in this area, and following a successful trial period, then this is another step we can offer. 

“As the first dairy company in the UK to trial clear caps on fresh milk, we are working hard to innovate and lead in issues that are not only important for customers, but for consumers too.  

“In an industry that needs access to more rHDPE, we are really excited to collaborate with Waitrose across all of their shops and trial this additional solution. Our fresh milk bottles already contain up to 40% recycled material, but with access to more, we can partner with our customers to increase this further. 

“But we will not stop there, we are also looking at ways to add recycled content into our clear-caps.” 

Showing leadership

Karen Graley, Packaging Innovation lead at Waitrose, said: “As food businesses, we need to do more to protect our planet from unnecessary plastic waste so we’re delighted to be involved in this trial.

“We have a proud heritage of being first to trial step-change innovations in this space - from rolling out the UK’s first refillables in-store to removing single-use plastic toys in children’s magazines, and we are proud to be working alongside Müller to show that leadership again.”