Business centre shakes up its milk order in conservation drive

Private dairyman Fred Adam with Sue Waterhouse, a receptionist at The Deep Business Centre.

A BUSINESS centre in Hull is sending a message in a bottle to back the mounting campaign against plastics pollution.

The Deep Business Centre has ditched daily deliveries of plastic pints in support of the conservation concerns highlighted by its partner, The Deep aquarium.

Instead the centre has asked private dairyman Fred Adam, its milk supplier for 14 years, to go back to glass even though it will cost more to cater for the 40 business clients and their staff of around 200.

Freya Cross, Business and Corporate Manager at The Deep, said: “We provide all our clients and their visitors with free hot drinks and that means using a lot of milk. At home I have only ever used glass bottles and when Fred told us he could make the change here we signed up straight away.

“The cost is higher but we think it’s worth it to protect the environment so we are going back to glass bottles to send a message about conservation. In doing that we are supporting the aquarium, which is at the heart of marine research and conservation and which highlights the threat of plastics pollution as part of its exhibits.”

Fred embarked on his dairy duties 41 years ago and said glass is gaining in popularity among customers who are increasingly aware of environmental issues.

Bottles were the only option when he started as a milkman in Hull in 1977, setting out at 5am as one of 167 milkmen in the city – a figure which he says is now down to 15 – and completing his round of 680 homes in just four hours.

After only six months he gave up his milkfloat and bought his own round as a private dairyman. Cardboard cartons came and went as plastic proved perfect for modern lifestyles. But how he says the times are changing again among his customer base of around 40 businesses in Hull.

He said: “The industry has changed so much. When I started I delivered 10,000 bottles of sterilised milk every week. Now not many people even know what that is!

“For a while it was all glass bottles. Then the poly took over because of cost and convenience, led by the supermarkets, but now demand for bottles is increasing gradually.

“I get the milk from a farm less than 25 miles from Hull and I deliver 140 pint bottles a week to The Deep Business Centre, taking away the empties so they can be cleaned and re-used. I love to see more people using glass because it is better for the environment.”