Müller said that the transition to the clear caps will help retain the material for reuse within the food sector as the coloured ones cannot be recycled back into food-grade packaging
The new caps can be recycled back into food grade packaging (Credit: Müller UK & Ireland)
Dairy company Müller has collaborated with supermarket chain Waitrose in a pilot to replace the humble blue, green and red caps used on milk bottles with clear caps.
The move will enable the company to boost the availability of rHDPE on the market by 1,560 tonnes per annum.
Müller said that the transition to the clear caps will help retain the material for reuse within the food sector as the coloured ones cannot be recycled back into food-grade packaging.
Furthermore, the move will reduce the need for virgin plastic because of more availability of rHDPE.
Müller is planning to launch the caps in Waitrose’s all 331 shops from 4 to 30 April 2022 after a successful in-house trial.
Müller milk & ingredients commercial director Liam McNamara said: “As the first dairy company in the UK to trial clear caps on fresh milk, we are working hard to innovate and lead in issues that are not only important for customers, but for consumers too.
“In an industry that needs access to more rHDPE, we are really excited to collaborate with Waitrose across all of their shops and trial this additional solution.
“Our fresh milk bottles already contain up to 40% recycled material, but with access to more, we can partner with our customers to increase this further.
“But we will not stop there, we are also looking at ways to add recycled content into our clear-caps.”
A study conducted by Müller showed that consumers support the change if the availability of food-grade recycled plastic material is improved.
Eight out of 10 shoppers said that would choose a bottle of milk that used a clear milk cap that can be recycled into food-grade material, over a coloured one that could not.
Waitrose packaging innovation lead Karen Graley said: “As food businesses, we need to do more to protect our planet from unnecessary plastic waste so we’re delighted to be involved in this trial.
“We have a proud heritage of being first to trial step-change innovations in this space – from rolling out the UK’s first refillable in-store to removing single-use plastic toys in children’s magazines, and we are proud to be working alongside Müller to show that leadership again.”