University of Sheffield returns to churns for greener milk

The traditional churn is being given a new lease of life in Sheffield

A university is ditching plastic milk bottles and returning to traditional churns in an effort to cut waste in its cafes and bars.

The University of Sheffield's three busiest cafes will switch to the 22-pint stainless vessels instead of single-use plastic containers.

It's estimated the change will avoid the use of 27,000 plastic bottles each year.

Local dairy farm Our Cow Molly will wash and refill the churns.

If successful, the trial project could be expanded to all the university's cafes, said a spokesperson.

This would mean that 87,000 plastic bottles, which contain the 430,000 pints of milk used annually in campus cafes, could be saved.

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The university has 19 cafes and bars that serve more than 6,000 people daily

The switch to the churns, which are connected to special pumps for dispensing the milk, could cut the carbon footprint of the deliveries by 6.5 tonnes a year, the university added.

Our Cow Molly's Eddie Andrew said the first prototype, which he demonstrated about two years ago, used an old churn and a beer hand pull to demonstrate the idea.

Peter Anstess, head of retail at the university, said it had a responsibility to source "high quality, local and sustainable" products.