Milk’s Square Revolution

Change is hard. A few years ago, there were murmurs amongst denizens of my rural hometown about the ghastly new yellow milk jugs. The loss of those glass bottles was one thing. But yellow jugs? The sweet corn-color of the newer plastic jugs does not bring to mind frothy, white, creamy cow’s milk. Apparently, the yellow plastic has a purpose, working to give us even fresher milk by reflecting fluorescent light, which is known to breakdown vitamins, such as A and C, and give milk an off-flavor. But today yellow milk jugs are so turn-of-the-century. Welcome to the newest milk revolution. It’s square.

Wal-Mart and Costco have begun distributing square gallon milk jugs in their grocery aisles. The square jugs have spouts that are nearly level with the top of the container, reportedly requiring a different pouring technique from the usual “pick-up and tip” we’ve all been trained with. (It’s so different, in fact, that at some supermarkets, pour demonstrations have been held, complete with chocolate chip cookies, to help customers learn not to spill). Designers didn’t choose to change the jugs to further alienate Generation We from Generation X. So why did they? These new jugs may not be yellow, but they are in a sense green.

The square jugs are stackable, thereby eliminating the need for the traditional milk crate, which one dairy owner estimates uses as much as 100,000 gallons of water per day to clean (apparently, birds like to poop on the transport units). The elimination of the crate also means trucks don’t have to make extra trips back to factories to drop off empty containers, cutting down on fuel-use and greenhouse gas emissions. The new jugs may be slightly cheaper for consumers, as well as remain recyclable, like their round cousins. Sounds great, and green (for both the environment and wallets), yet can't we do more?

There’s only a 28 percent recycling rate for the millions of tons of milk and plastic bottles used in the States annually. So why aren’t bottle makers investing in a biodegradable milk jug, such as the GreenBottle? This UK invention is made of two layers: An interior of earth-friendly alternative plastic, and an exterior of recyclable cardboard. The company website states both layers will break down within weeks of reaching a landfill. Plus, its carbon footprint is 48 percent less than the traditional plastic bottle. Such a container complements the need to be green, and our universal laziness (read: inability to throw the traditional plastic jug in the recycle bin). The New York Times reported that the new gallon jug is a "sharp break" from the traditional methods of producing and packaging milk. Hmm. If we are going to start a milk revolution, shouldn’t it be even more radical? This one feels a bit too square.