Oberweis: Stop keeping our milk bottles; it's making us less green

Oberweis Dairy says a recent deposit-fee hike for milk bottles is a strategy to keep its popular delivery service environmentally friendly.

The rate increase, from 85 cents to $1.50 a bottle, went into effect July 1 and is expected to generate a "massive increase" in the number of glass bottles that customers return, said Joe Oberweis, president and CEO of the North Aurora-based company.

"We have a hard time going out and marketing our business as environmentally friendly as we've seen our return of bottles go down," he said. "Really, the only bottles we don't want back are the ones that break."

Oberweis estimated there are about 30,000 standing delivery orders with his company, which has offered the service since 1927. Deposits are paid when customers sign up and refunded as bottles are returned to one of the chain's 48 locations or individual grocers that carry its products.

Oberweis said the rate increase is not financially motivated and, in fact, will result in some one-time losses as customers who squirreled away dozens of bottles over the years return them for the higher refund.

For example, 20 bottles taken out at the old rate for $17 could be returned for $30 under the new rate - a profit of more than 76 percent.

"A $1.50 deposit is significant without a doubt. But in the long run, it doesn't cost our customers anything," Oberweis said. "The driving force behind this was not financial."

Mike Mitchell, executive director of the nonprofit Illinois Recycling Association based in Oak Park, said there is little scientific information available about the environmental aspects of milk delivery. But anytime consumers "reuse" a product, it's usually better than the alternative, he said.

"The fact that they're (Oberweis) providing at least an incentive to make sure customers return them is a good thing," Mitchell said. "It definitely reduces waste and keeps things out of the waste stream. If people don't return them, we would hope they would still be recycled."

Oberweis said the company's delivery service picked up steam in the 1990s and into the early 2000s as recycling and conservation grew more popular among Americans.

"It's been pretty flat for us since then. We grew for about 15 years before we took a hit from the economy and plateaued," he said. "It's a great service that people love."

In addition to milk, Oberweis Dairy delivers eggs, butter and other kitchen essentials.