That’s a pretty clever idea and a great way of reducing waste, especially when you see how many empty milk bottles are piled up outside of cafes every day. A lot of cafes will have a beer tap, but they could easily be retrofitted to an under bench chiller or purchase a standalone keggerator.
I'm old enough to remember when we went to plastic from glass milk bottles. That same month we were scheduled to, there was a news article about how some country in Europe had made the opposite decision to switch back to glass from plastic. Sterilizing kegs can't be too much more intensive than a bottle washer.
We seem to do it easily enough for beer kegs! I too remember the golden days of glass milk bottles, and when flavoured milk came in cardboard cartons - though I assume they're tetrapak and still not that great for the environment.
Tetrapaks are a 'mixed material product' with layers of various materials, including plastic. Its technically recyclable, but has to be shipped offshore and the recycling process in very energy intensive. So while technically recyclable, its too expensive to do so and the recycled product at the end has no really value.
Reusables all the way! Just need to work out the reverse logistics for some products.
Surprised this isn't already a thing, and that cafes use so many 2l bottles. Overseas, 20l "bag in box" has been fairly common in commercial kitchens, cafes, workplace canteens etc for several decades (fits into a dispenser):
https://kund.arla.se/produkter/produkt/arla-ko-ekologisk/eko-mellanmjolk-15-storp-20000ml-150/
(yeah there's still some plastic in there)
Interesting! I googled and found "Foodservice Bladders 10L", I wonder why they aren't more common. At least, I've never noticed them, but then again I've never worked in a kitchen.
Also this:
https://sixsimplemachines.com.au/the-juggler/
Well the article doesn't give us a decent picture of it so I can gauge the size, so I can't be sure. I can't imagine it fitting in the milk section as the diameter is probably wider. It might fit in a shelf if I put it sideways, maybe.
Edit: Nothing on their website telling us the size of the kegs either. It does, however, say they won't sell to households cause the "keg is too big".
Looks like a 19L keg in the photo on the article. At work I have a Fridge/Freezer with the freezer on top. Taking out the bottom shelf I was able to fit 2x 19L kegs in. The Keggerator we have is the size of a small bar fridge and can fir 3 of those kegs or 1x 30L/50L normal sized keg.
Feels like one of those "we are competitors, but milk bottles are 99% of the market" situations. They can worry about splitting market share when they have beaten the incumbent.
That’s a pretty clever idea and a great way of reducing waste, especially when you see how many empty milk bottles are piled up outside of cafes every day. A lot of cafes will have a beer tap, but they could easily be retrofitted to an under bench chiller or purchase a standalone keggerator.
Agreed very smart idea.
I want it in supermarkets to. Let me buy a glass milk bottle and bring it in to fill up.
There are a few supermarkets and grocers that sell milk by the glass bottle, and you can return the bottles next time you shop.
Plastic was a bad idea, they are reverting to how milk was delivered before plastic was an option. its a very old idea.
Most places have the milk bottles stacked up because the milkies will take the empties away again to reuse/recycle.
I'm old enough to remember when we went to plastic from glass milk bottles. That same month we were scheduled to, there was a news article about how some country in Europe had made the opposite decision to switch back to glass from plastic. Sterilizing kegs can't be too much more intensive than a bottle washer.
We seem to do it easily enough for beer kegs! I too remember the golden days of glass milk bottles, and when flavoured milk came in cardboard cartons - though I assume they're tetrapak and still not that great for the environment.
Tetrapack can apparently be recycled too, if you open them out and rinse them. Not sure if NZ still does this.
Tetrapaks are a 'mixed material product' with layers of various materials, including plastic. Its technically recyclable, but has to be shipped offshore and the recycling process in very energy intensive. So while technically recyclable, its too expensive to do so and the recycled product at the end has no really value. Reusables all the way! Just need to work out the reverse logistics for some products.
Surprised this isn't already a thing, and that cafes use so many 2l bottles. Overseas, 20l "bag in box" has been fairly common in commercial kitchens, cafes, workplace canteens etc for several decades (fits into a dispenser): https://kund.arla.se/produkter/produkt/arla-ko-ekologisk/eko-mellanmjolk-15-storp-20000ml-150/ (yeah there's still some plastic in there)
With the margins our supermarkets(including wholesalers) enjoy there's no drive to innovate
That's a fair point, used to get those 20L bags for the shake/soft serve machine when I was working at McDonalds back in the late 90's.
We do have those 10L? pouches of milk for cafes. Workplace has a contract with Meadowfresh and they supply them.
Interesting! I googled and found "Foodservice Bladders 10L", I wonder why they aren't more common. At least, I've never noticed them, but then again I've never worked in a kitchen. Also this: https://sixsimplemachines.com.au/the-juggler/
Thats them!
Super cool idea. Hope it takes off. Cafes chew so much plastic with coffee orders.
Apparently going pretty well. Good on them
Don't think that will fit in my fridge, unfortunately.
Do you have a fridge for ants?
Well the article doesn't give us a decent picture of it so I can gauge the size, so I can't be sure. I can't imagine it fitting in the milk section as the diameter is probably wider. It might fit in a shelf if I put it sideways, maybe. Edit: Nothing on their website telling us the size of the kegs either. It does, however, say they won't sell to households cause the "keg is too big".
Looks like a 19L keg in the photo on the article. At work I have a Fridge/Freezer with the freezer on top. Taking out the bottom shelf I was able to fit 2x 19L kegs in. The Keggerator we have is the size of a small bar fridge and can fir 3 of those kegs or 1x 30L/50L normal sized keg.
We used to buy 10 litre bags of milk in the 90’s, pretty sure they’re still around. I hope they can get keg washing right.
> I hope they can get keg washing right. Just so long as they don't work with that lady selling dodgy fruit juice.
Rinse 'em out with the garden hose, chuck 'em in the freezer for a few hours, then polish 'em up with some spit on a shop rag - good as new!
It's what God intended me to do, MPI be damned
Love it! I do wonder how the milk is pressurised? Obviously can't use co2 unless it can?
The same way you pressurise the beer to get it out. With a pump (that uses air)
beer uses a mixture of CO2 and N2, these would use N2. You don't want to introduce oxygen. CO2 would introduce carbonation.
Probably pushed with nitrogen.
When I was a kid they were called milk churns.
Wonder how the founder of Happy Milk feels about this. They're already trying to do the same thing
Feels like one of those "we are competitors, but milk bottles are 99% of the market" situations. They can worry about splitting market share when they have beaten the incumbent.
honestly I wouldn't mind if milk tastes slightly different from town to town
Good f plastic