Costco and Wal-Mart (in their Sam’s Club locations) have started selling new square jugs of milk. Made of recyclable plastic, this new design allows for tight stacking translating into more milk in less space in trucks and in stores (at Sam’s Club 224 gallons of milk can now fit in coolers that used to hold 80) meaning only 2 deliveries a week is needed instead of 5.
The traditional design requires milk crates for delivery which get filthy and take up too much space in delivery trucks. With the new design, the jugs are stacked on dividers made of cardboard and shrink wrapped. The cardboard and shrink wrap are recycled (good for the environment) and do not take up extra room on the trucks allowing for more milk to be delivered on a single trip (thus effectively reducing carbon emissions; great for the environment). Also, eliminating the crates means that they don’t have to be cleaned – estimates say water use could be reduced by 60 to 70 percent.
Now, there are concerns with the spillage that people seem to encounter when pouring out the milk with these new jugs – I think the solution to this would be to change the spout design to be more like the ones used with liquid detergent bottles – but for the benefits we could see, we should all try to re-learn how to pour milk.
Cook’s Compass tries to high-light the rare and exotic ingredients in you area, but this time I just had to give kudos to the corporate giants for taking a chance and making a change. Hopefully, in time, we will start to see these square jugs in a store near you. Reduced water use, reduced carbon emissions, big fuel savings… works for me!
Stats from article on: http://www.nytimes.com
Filed under: environmental awareness | Tagged: carbon food-print, green earth, innovation, new products
