Milk bottle
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Milk bottles are reusable glass bottles used mainly for doorstep delivery of fresh milk by milkmen. Customers are expected to rinse the empty bottles and leave on the doorstep for collection. The standard size of a bottle varies with location; common sizes are 1 litre, 1 pint or 1 quart, although cream may be delivered in smaller bottles.
They are a popular collectors item.
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[edit] History
- Before milk bottles, milkmen filled the customers' jugs.
- 1880 - British milk bottles were first produced by the Express Dairy Company. They were delivered by horse-drawn carts and delivered four times a day. The first bottles used a porcelain stopper top held on by wire.
- 1894 - Anthony Hailwood developed a pasteurisation process for milk which allowed it to be sterilized and be safely stored for longer periods. Milk could now be delivered once a day.
- 1920 - Advertisements began to appear on milk bottles. A sand-blasting technique was used to etch them on the glass.
- mid 1950s - Cardboard tops were deemed unhygienic and banned in some locations.
- early 1990s - The advertising largely disappeared with the introduction of infrared bottle scanners designed to check cleanliness.
[edit] Present day
In some locations, silver, red, blue or yellow aluminium tops on today's bottles indicate the fat content. Unpasteurised is green-topped. Other dairies use other color designations. Bottles may also be marked or stamped with the name of the dairy.
Modern dairies may also use refillable plastic bottles, as well as plastic bottle tops.
[edit] References
- Poulter, Sean (2001). A short history of milk bottles. Milk Bottle of the Week. milkbottleoftheweek.com. Retrieved on August 25, 2005.
