Hands free milk

The UK-based WRAP (Waste & Resources Action Programme) is supporting Dairy Crest in a project to research, design and pilot a new handle-free plastic milk bottle, as part of a drive to reduce packaging waste by 5,000 tonnes per annum.

The project will focus on one pint and two pint bottles. Packaging supplier Nampak will be responsible for developing the prototype high-density polyethylene (HDPE) handle-free bottle with Dairy Crest’s designers.

'Nampak and Dairy Crest aim to achieve a 10 per cent reduction in weight with the new bottle, which will set a new light-weighting standard for the milk industry,' said Peter Skelton, of the WRAP Retail Team.

'Plastic milk bottles are probably the most common plastic item found in household waste and manufacturers and brand owners have taken the current handled designs as far as they can go in terms of lightweighting - the vital next step is perfecting a handle-free design which works for the consumer,' he added.