Before the Second World War, most milk was delivered to houses not in glass bottles, but in a churn or large can. The milk was ladled out by the milkman into the customer’s own jugs or bowls, using a measure like this. Glass bottles were introduced nationally in 1884 but delivering milk in individual bottles only became common in the 1920s and 30s – first by horse and cart, and later by electric milk vans. By the 1950s 99% of all milk was delivered daily in this way. There were 45,000 milkmen in the UK. As supermarkets appeared, and more customers owned fridges, daily deliveries declined, and more people chose to buy their milk in plastic containers. Milk rounds became uneconomic and many closed. Now, only 5% of milk is delivered in glass bottles and there are only a few thousand milkmen. In the 21st century, the problems of excess use of plastic are better understood. Although modern hygiene regulations would not allow the sale of milk from open churns, perhaps we should return to using glass?