I bought a quart of milk in a glass bottle, and while I know milk-the-old-way is a thing – a Whole Foods/local dairy thing that has been around for a while – this was my first indulgence in glass in a very long time. The $2.99 purchase caused me to stop and think – because I apparently have not been depressed enough lately – about all the plastic jugs my household has used over the years in the consumption of milk.
The deal with Homestead Dairy is this: When the milk is gone, wash out the bottle and return it to the store next time you go. “All you’ll need to do is bring your bottles through the checkout line or to the customer service desk,” the dairy says. “They’ll either provide you with a cash refund or take money off of whatever else you’re buying.”
It takes extra effort, but the opportunities are there to go eco-retro.
So I think I could get in the habit of taking empty milk bottles back to the store, though, of course, that process is not as convenient as what I grew up with – the old way, the Charlie Leland way. Charlie had a great dairy farm in East Bridgewater, my hometown on the South Shore of Massachusetts, and he delivered fresh milk to our door, always in glass. He picked up the empties with every delivery. We used to do the same with soda bottles – though, where I come from, all soda was “tonic” – and, for each bottle, a nickel came back. A few states – unfortunately, not Maryland – still have deposits on bottles.
But, of course, the hydrocarbon-based polymeric juggernaut arrived and the rest is history: We’ve been overwhelmed by plastic, and the planet has not been the same since.
I’m not much for nostalgia, but there are pieces of the old days and the old ways we should have kept because they were sound practices, a wise conservatism that suited every household and lifestyle – one car per family, taking the bus and train when possible, preserving local farming and patronizing the local farmer, and getting our milk in glass bottles.
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Dan Rodricks 
In Springfield MA, growing up, the milkman delivered bottles and picked up empties from a metal box by the back door. It was right next to the sunk-in-the ground garbage pail that we filled with table scraps and orange rinds, etc. The garbageman emptied that once a week.
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You refer there to the “swill bucket.” https://www.baltimoresun.com/2021/02/25/in-jessup-turning-food-waste-into-energy-and-something-good-for-the-earth-commentary/
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Hi Dan,
We met at the checkout yesterday – thanks for the Whole Foods mention – sourcing LOCAL is a big initiative of Whole Foods – as we have signage throughout the store.
Once again, nice to meet you,
Dave Ferraro
Store Leadership
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Amen! I remember when those bottles froze, the cream would rise and form a “stove pipe” out of the tops!
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I remember those days. I’m a Baltimore girl and we had milk delivered to our back door, with cream at the top. Just as an alternative (because I’m avoiding plastic as much as I can), Trader Joe’s sells organic whole and 2% milk in 1/2 gallon paper cartons in limited amounts. It lasts a long time (not sure how good that is?) and the price is right. I love buying leaf lettuce at WF. It’s not wrapped up and organic. Thanks for sharing the memory!
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Similar topicâI live at the edge of a small woods in Mount Washington, and since the ban on plastic bags, I donât see those ugly suckers hanging in the trees.
Today:
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My mother would give me a spoon, pop the cardboard top off the milk bottle that the milkman left on the porch, & I ate the spoonful of ice cream. Who didn’t? Actually, the frozen cream lifted the top off.
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I live in Massachusetts and while I do still buy my milk in plastic bottles, I at least buy my Heineken’s beer in returnable glass bottles. To do this, I have to pay 30 cents each per six pack and take the bottles to a redemption center, receive a coupon, and present it to the clerk in the liquor store, but they are always 30 cents ahead of me.
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Yes, Dan! Bring back the glass bottles for milk! I am also converting to metal containers (aluminum?) Instead of individual water bottles for use in car and when traveling.
When disasters occur, why doesn’t FEMA send large metal containers of water with metal cups? They can be made lightweight material and the mugs or cups can be reused. Forget the small bottles that are thrown away and fill our oceans with plastic that fish feed on, resulting in the microscopic plastic particles in our bodies.
I remember my dad carrying a thermos to work with hot coffee — not a Starbucks cup in sight. When our family went sightseeing in DC or Virginia Mom would fix sandwiches wrapped in wax paper, and fill two tall thermos bottles with iced tea (think plaid design), and fill a picnic basket. She had melamine plates to use that would be taken home to wash as were cloth napkins.
Let’s go back to reusing and stop polluting!
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My siblings and I went on the milk route with my dad and grandfather who delivered those bottles of milk from our dairy, The Leland Farm. Dad took over after Uncle Charlie stopped delivering 🙂 Thanks for the pic and the memories, Dan.
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Yes. I agree. Some of the “old ways” are best for our planet and therefore OUR FUTURE. We “simply” need to first adjust our mindset and then our habits. We need to become less self-centered, which I think is the hardest hurdle, especially it’s what we’ve been teaching our children for a few generations now- ME-Me- ME! It needs to shift to US-US- US.
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