To think using a milkman is good for the environment

[Meadowland]

Just that really. Using returnable glass bottles instead of plastic.
Mine also delivers lots of organic stuff.
I know it works out more expensive, but there are usually plenty of things on offer, and I get so much from mine so save on fuel.

However I would like to point out that organic milk DOES NOT mean that cows do not receive antibiotics when they have mastitis FGS. It means the milk cannot go into the food chain while it contains the medicine. Which while we’re at is true of non- organic dairy farms too FYI. Exactly. The amount of rubbish people come out with on here is amazing. Farmers don't give medicine unless they can help it. It's expensive. But we don't let animals suffer unnecessarily despite the propaganda.

My dad actually is milkman (although technically he owns the company which is very large in milkman terms and cover a huge amount of the north east - he does deliver, and has workers too).

They do not use electric vehicles as it just isn't economic for them as the drivers can be working through the night up to about 10 hours, covering 100s of miles so not doable. They also deliver in vans as they need to travel in all weather (plus I'm sure they have to be temp controlled now for large rounds)

He has always had glass bottles (along with the regular cartons) and the glass bottles are very environmentally friendly, they all get returned to the main dairy and reused over and over. They will never compete with plastic cartons unfortunately, and shops rarely take them as not as easy so stack/display etc.

His prices are higher than a supermarket but its the inconvenience - he was attempting to get out during the beast from the east last year and he and other workers came off roads etc trying to deliver. Our local supermarkets had no milk.

Plus, in all honesty, knowing what i know about some supermarket milks - I wouldn't want to buy form there even if he wasn't a milkman.

@Meadowland whilst I absolutely agree on principle with what you say, in terms of taste and recycling etc...it clearly is not a 'small extra cost'. It's a minimum of three times more expensive. More in some areas (up to 4x the cost). That's HUGE and for the vast majority of us, just not feasible 🤦‍♀️. In my case, I only buy 6 pints a week as I live alone, so the difference for me would be around £4.50 a week. But my friend who has 4 young children and a milk guzzling husband, buys 3 litres a day...one of those large cartons in Tesco at £1.50. At £2.79 for a 2l carton from our local milkman (they don't do 3l), it would cost around £28 a week for the amount of milk they use! At the moment it costs her £10.50...so nearly a third of the price and saving almost £20. It's a no brainer really. Regardless of your environmental stance.

I know that milkmen can't compete with the big supermarkets, which is a shame, as yes, it's a great service for those who want and need it. But financially it just doesn't make sense for most families unfortunately 🙁

@northernknickers £2.79 for a 2 litre is extortionate - my milkman (my dad) charges £1.65. We are on the North though so not sure where you're based.

@LIVVI1234 wow! That's a big difference!! There's only the one company that deliver near me...where I lived previously (South Manchester) there were several companies, so prices were more competitive, but still £1.94 for 2l from the cheapest one (I've just googled 😂)

Your dad is clearly doing all he can to compete with the supermarkets...I hope he's doing well 👍👍

@northernknickers he does do very well but only because he has expanded and expanded over the years and taken on the rounds of smaller milkmen when they've gone out of business (which is unfortunate). I think because he has so many customers, he gets cheaper prices from the dairy, which he can then pass on. Most smaller businesses aren't in that position and it's so sad. He also works up to 18 hour days (he's not getting any younger either!!)

He's very fortunate but most aren't sadly but I totally understand when you mention that kind of price difference. That's not economical for normal families.

I'd love to use a milkman but I work 13 hour shifts. By the time I get home the milk would have gone off.

Wow @LIVVI1234 that's a hard job! Long and unsociable hours too 😢.

It's not so much that home delivered milk is over priced, more that supermarkets sell ordinary milk as a loss leader. As I mentioned upthread, organic milk is hardly any cheaper in supermarkets.

As with everything we buy, people make a choice between cost, convenience and principle. Milk and More and other home delivery services pay dairy farmers slightly more than supermarkets but more money for dairy farmers is not going to be your top priority if you and your family get through 3 or 4 pints a day.

I like the convenience of home delivery - especially when we had the beast from the east and the news was full of reports about shops that had run out of milk. My deliveries were totally unaffected and the milkman and his float even got through on the untreated road.

@DamnitCharlie

I would use those vending machines, not much more expensive than the village co-op.

Ours comes in reused glass bottles in an electric milk float. Straight from the dairy up the road. Expensive but food miles are about 2. Supports a vital local business. Very popular round here.

@nettie434 Totally agree with your post.
However also realize that for families who use lots of milk the cost can mount up.
I wonder (to myself mostly !) if more people use a milkman, would the price go down - economy of scale ?

Well perhaps but in the case of my dairy I think they wouldn't easily be able to upscale the amount of cows!

Very interesting points meadowland frazzled2207 I am trying to remember who did the research that showed local firms reinvest money into the local area whereas multinationals by definition don’t.

We tend to think of costs to ourselves, but not about wider costs, like food miles. Earlier posters referred to the costs of dairy versus plant based alternatives but then a poster highlighted the risks of soya milk. A simple thing like a glass bottle of home delivered milk actually highlights the much larger topic of how we can all live more sustainably.

@Toddlerteaplease what time do you start work? Our milk is delivered around 3am.

Nope because my local one delivers it in plastic bottle and I'm sure it from Muller.

Although I buy milk from the supermarket, it's organic and the farm is about an hour and half away. Sadly too far to go regularly but the cows are well cared for.

Yes Toddler, you'll probably find the milk will be delivered before you go to work.