Waitrose milk tops: why is supermarket scrapping red, blue and green lids - and when will change take place?

Waitrose is scrapping red, blue and green milk bottle tops in favour of clear ones that are easy to recycle.

In a UK first, the move comes after a successful pilot scheme with shoppers who were unfazed by the loss of coloured plastic caps on whole, semi-skimmed and skimmed milk.

The new tops which make the plastic bottles 100% recyclable, will appear across the ‘Essential milk’ range - accounting for 44% of milk sales.

The rest of the supermarket’s own label milk bottles will transition across all 331 stores next year, reports the Mirror.

Why is Waitrose making this change?

Waitrose said more colourful labels would help shoppers easily distinguish the different varieties at a glance.

The new recyclable bottles are being produced in partnership with dairy giant Muller.

They found half of shoppers look for the cap colour to buy their milk, and the others check the label or head for the chiller cabinet.

What was said?

Lisa Oaten, milk buyer at Waitrose, added: “Milk is one of our best-selling products, so to be able to bring this packaging improvement to an everyday essential across all of our stores is fantastic.

“Customer feedback during the trial has been overwhelmingly positive and this national rollout will help us achieve our goal of making more of the plastic we use circular and fit to be repurposed time and time again.”

Muller Milk & Ingredients commercial director Liam McNamara said: “Everyone is thinking more about what they buy, the nutritional benefits, the value it represents and the packaging used.

“We want to be the partner of choice for our customers, we recognise the commitments they are making in this area, and following a successful trial period, then this is another step we can offer.

“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.”