I need to vent about plastic milk jugs

8 months ago by themeatbridge to c/lemmyshitpost

There's a post I saw on reddit that points to the dimple on the side of a milk jug, and makes fun of all the people who don't know what that's for. In the comments are thousands of people giving dozens of different explanations, and all of them are wrong.

It is not there to indicate that the milk has spoiled by popping out due to gasses produced by spoiled milk. If there was enough gas to pop out the dimple, the whole jug would look like a balloon.

It is not there to provide structural integrity, like lateral support to prevent the bottles from crushing. The contents are under pressure, so if there was enough force on the jug from any direction, then the cap would pop off regardless of the shape in the sidewall.

The actual answer is that the dimple is added to ensure that all of the jugs contain the same volume of milk. Plastic jugs are blown into molds, and minor manufacturing variations over time would create jugs that hold different amounts of milk. Larger jugs would hold more than a gallon. They could just fill by volume, but consumers are wary of purchasing a bottle if it appears to be less full than the others. So they add the dimple to make it so that the level of milk is all the way at the top with minimal air between the milk and the cap.

You can verify this yourself by finding different jugs from the same supplier with dimples of different depths, or even no dimple at all. None of those other explanations would explain dimples of different sizes or jugs without dimples.

TLDR everybody is wrong. The milk jug dimples are added to ensure the jug contains the correct volume of milk.

BarbecueCowboy 171 points 8 months ago

You are correct that there is a connection to ensuring fill levels, but incorrect on it not being intended to provide structural integrity. It is both.

You can disable javascript to get around snopes adblock block: https://www.snopes.com/...

You can also view the original patent here: https://patents.google.com/...

Notable excerpt from patent:

When the horizontal ribs are not provided completely around the container, the face panels may be provided with indentions of preferably a circular configuration. The size and depth of the indentations may be varied to control fill level of a given volume of contents in the container in addition to further stabilizing the sidewalls.

path: 0 21253472, hotness: undefined, score: 171, children: 1
diabetic_porcupine 4 points 8 months ago

Thanks for including this excerpt. I’m losing my fucking mind that OP was so detailed in his explanation yet left such a rudimentary question unanswered like “do they vary the depth of the dimple depending on fill level”?

path: 0 21253472 21266103, hotness: undefined, score: 4, children: 0
Machinist 74 points 8 months ago

I don't think this is correct and would need to see a source before I believe it. I doubt the dimple is adjustable in the way you're describing.

The amount of wear needed to change the volume by a noticable margin would be quite significant. Surface finish of the mold would be degraded enough that they would probably scrap the mold before using an adjustment like this as the mold would have sticking problems.

It might be volumetric compensation, but I doubt it's directly wear related.

The mold is going to be at least two parts that split to get the blown jug out. The jug feedstock probably starts as a molded tube blank with the threads already in it. Would look like a test tube with a milk jug mouth.

Thinking about it, and I suppose you could actually call it wear compensation. Machine the mold with max dimple present. As your parting faces/lines take damage, you reface, and take some off the dimple to compensate for reduced volume. Maybe. That's my best guess if it isn't structual. Usually the rest of the mold has taken enough damage/wear that you're scrapping the entire thing.

path: 0 21257043, hotness: undefined, score: 74, children: 15
SoleInvictus 69 points 8 months ago

Believe it or not, @themeatbridge@lemmy.world is correct, just not about why. It's to adjust for differences in jug size caused by temperature.

Plastic jugs are made by blow molding, where a tube of plastic is warmed, then inflated within a mold using compressed air to create its shape. In winter, the air and environment are cooler so the plastic is also cooler and accordingly a bit less elastic while getting blown. This results in jugs that contract a bit more while cooling and are a bit smaller. To compensate, cool weather jugs have a shallower dimple. The alternative is either warming the air or warming the molds more, both of which cost more, while this actually slightly saves money by using a bit less plastic. The converse is true for summer jugs - bigger dimple, warmer air - as the warmer plastic molds more easily.

The dimple also adds a bit of structural stability, so the jugs can be made of slightly thinner plastic. These factories pump out millions of jugs, so even a $0.005 saving per jug adds up.

I actually did some work for a company that makes plastic containers, so I got it straight from them. Otherwise I'd provide a source. What I could find online that corroborates is low quality local reporting, so I didn't bother with URLs.

path: 0 21257043 21258086, hotness: undefined, score: 69, children: 12
Machinist 23 points 8 months ago

That makes more sense. Nothing to do with wear. I guess the dimple would be a removable insert. You could have a selection of them and swap when calibrating the line.

I would think that blow mold is happening right before washing and bottling. Tube blanks are probably supplied in Gaylord's coming from the plastic producer. Transporting semis full of empty jugs doesn't make sense.

I'm suprised there is that much variation in volume, I would expect the temps to be more consistent. I guess the compressed air temp is the main variable, mold temps should be pretty consistent. Ambient air temp when the bottle is cooling probably also plays a role, more or less shrink before it "freezes". Not sure if they're made from LDPE or HDPE but those are both really stretchy, so I guess they very well could jump all over on size.

Most of my mold experience is in automotive, which is going to be a tighter process.

path: 0 21257043 21258086 21258448, hotness: undefined, score: 23, children: 7
SoleInvictus 12 points 8 months ago

You've got it! My work was about sustainability, but that includes plastic consumption, so I learned about the factors that affect the amount used. You're right on the process - they're gross immediately after molding, so washing is next. The molds are water cooled, so they're pretty consistent, it's just heating the tube and the temperature of the compressed air that's affected the most.

The volume change is unintuitively high. Jugs have a high SA:V ratio, being a curvy semi-rectangle with a hollow handle. A 1% surface area reduction results in a >5% drop in volume, about 7 fluid ounces per 1%, or 0.875 cups. Manufacturers really only see <1% reductions, but if they stuck with the same mold through the summer, they'd end up with a jug that looks to be about 0.5-0.75 cups low after filling. That's pretty conspicuous for customers, especially since the top portion tapers, making the level drop even more dramatic.

path: 0 21257043 21258086 21258448 21259059, hotness: undefined, score: 12, children: 5
Professorozone 3 points 8 months ago

I'm sorry, I'm just not buying this explanation. I'd need more evidence.

What surface area? It's volume we're talking about. You mean if the plastic gets thicker, thereby reducing the interior surface area there is a corresponding decrease in volume? And it's 5 to 1 ratio? So if the plastic is thicker by 20% there is no room for milk?

Winter bottles, summer bottles? Like the temperatures aren't controlled because it costs money? They just compensate with a plug, what every season? Like it costs money to control the temperature of a process but it doesn't cost money wasting plastic.

Hey, I'm not an expert on this subject and I could be wrong but from my perspective you're just some guy on the Internet that sounds like he knows what he's talking about.

path: 0 21257043 21258086 21258448 21259059 21259463, hotness: undefined, score: 3, children: 4
m0darn 4 points 8 months ago

Ambient air temp when the bottle is cooling probably also plays a role, more or less shrink before it "freezes"

Yeah I agree with that. Also maybe inconsistency with the plastic batch.

But also milk jugs are blown directly from pellets, no threaded blank. Water bottles and pop bottles go from threaded blanks though.

I don't remember seeing washing but I guess that would be on the filling side, (jugs are made on one side of the plant then go through a wall to the clean side) I don't think I've seen that for milk.

path: 0 21257043 21258086 21258448 21260701, hotness: undefined, score: 4, children: 0
kogasa 3 points 8 months ago path: 0 21257043 21258086 21271576, hotness: undefined, score: 3, children: 1
SoleInvictus 1 point 8 months ago

This is awesome. Thank you! I think the collective efforts of everyone here may have made this the Internet's definitive post about milk jug construction.

I've now spent literal hours reading about and discussing jugs for milk, something I don't drink. This isn't even my area of expertise! I'm providing all of this to my therapist as further proof that yeah, I'm probably autistic.

path: 0 21257043 21258086 21271576 21274226, hotness: undefined, score: 1, children: 0
RattlerSix 3 points 8 months ago

I knew the OP couldn't be right because how do you add a dimple after the jug is full?

But I'm not sure ambient air temperature during molding is the whole story either, although I expect that is a concern that is taken into consideration and the article below leaves it out.

The article says "*The high-density polyethylene plastic jugs are made of shrinks slightly over time. It also shrinks more in hot temperatures than cold temperatures...

Producers must make jugs slightly larger to offset inevitable shrinkage if they are exposed to summer heat in transport and/or go to long-term storage before being filled, but they want to keep the jugs smaller in cold months and if jugs go directly to be filled.*"

It's saying the dimple is to adjust the size of the jug depending on what shrinkage it's likely to see before being filled. So you can presumably have small dimples in summer if they go directly to be filled, and large dimples in winter if they're going to be transported and stored first.

https://www.usatoday.com/...

path: 0 21257043 21258086 21267918, hotness: undefined, score: 3, children: 0
Professorozone 1 point 8 months ago
path: 0 21257043 21258086 21259261, hotness: undefined, score: 1, children: 0
CalmChaos72 5 points 8 months ago

I agree with this guy, and I have to say it… username checks out.

path: 0 21257043 21257443, hotness: undefined, score: 5, children: 0
Professorozone 2 points 8 months ago

I agree with you.

path: 0 21257043 21259271, hotness: undefined, score: 2, children: 0
smuuthbrane 63 points 8 months ago

So how is the dimple added after filling? If it's to ensure a common fill amount, it would have to be done post-fill.

At least, I can't figure out how it would be done pre-fill without somehow precisely measuring the volume of the empty jug.

path: 0 21253216, hotness: undefined, score: 63, children: 10
FiniteBanjo 38 points 8 months ago

It's assumed that all jugs from a mould hold the same volume, but not every mould holds the same volume, so by aiming high for the initial design of the mould and then adding spacers to the side of the mould as needed you can achieve a modified mould that stores the correct amount.

DISCLAIMER: I am not a milk jug engineer, that's just how I interpreted it.

path: 0 21253216 21253475, hotness: undefined, score: 38, children: 0
themeatbridge 16 points 8 months ago

It's added after molding the jugs and the volume is checked, but before the milk is filled.

path: 0 21253216 21254113, hotness: undefined, score: 16, children: 8
smuuthbrane 7 points 8 months ago

So the mold is made, the volume checked, adjusted via an insert, and then they crank out jugs.

That's plausible, but over-complicated in an age of digital CAD and mature molding techniques.

Sounds like milk bags are vastly superior.

path: 0 21253216 21254113 21258664, hotness: undefined, score: 7, children: 5
BeardedGingerWonder 7 points 8 months ago

Apart from when you want to use them.

path: 0 21253216 21254113 21258664 21258833, hotness: undefined, score: 7, children: 4
smuuthbrane 1 point 8 months ago

Spoken like someone who's never used them.

path: 0 21253216 21254113 21258664 21258833 21260219, hotness: undefined, score: 1, children: 3
Trainguyrom 4 points 8 months ago

That's a ton of manual labor on a disposable container. Manual labor is extremely expensive, and plastics manufacturing is extremely repeatable and extremely cheap at scale (that's kind of the big reason plastic is so common, it's cheap and reliable)

Granted I could imagine a machine which fills it with dyed water, uses a camera to determine the fill level then passes to another machine which adjusts by volume but that's really going to slow down the production line doing all of that.

Ultimately plastics manufacturing is way more precise and consistent than that, you'll basically end up with either a milk jug or a misshapen mess if there is a defect, and not really anything in between

path: 0 21253216 21254113 21258299, hotness: undefined, score: 4, children: 1
roboslap 1 point 8 months ago

Only the mold is being adjusted, not each individual plastic jug.

path: 0 21253216 21254113 21258299 21259193, hotness: undefined, score: 1, children: 0
RememberTheApollo_ 44 points 8 months ago

The dimple was there for stress releif:

Combined with the octagonal shape of the container, the circular, concave indent on the side of a milk container increases the stability of the plastic, allowing the internal pressure to disperse evenly. This improved structural support also allows jug manufacturers to reduce the amount of resin needed to make each container.

Read More: https://www.sciencing.com/...

path: 0 21254958, hotness: undefined, score: 44, children: 3
tiramichu 27 points 8 months ago

That very same article also does say however:

On top of that, the indentation allows the manufacturer to precisely control the volume that the jug can hold.

path: 0 21254958 21255499, hotness: undefined, score: 27, children: 2
snooggums 9 points 8 months ago

OP said it was not for integrity, which is wrong because it is for multiple things including integrity.

path: 0 21254958 21255499 21257632, hotness: undefined, score: 9, children: 1
tiramichu 3 points 8 months ago

Right, but the person I replied to said it was for stress relief [only] - as if to invalidate by omission the original assertion that it's for controlling fill level.

I pointed out the article supports both positions, and I did that for the benefit of people who might not read the article to see as such, and would otherwise take the comment to mean the article is in complete contradiction to the OP rather than partially contradicting and partially agreeing.

I don't really have any personal stake or care about who as individuals are right or wrong in this, but I would like to get to the bottom of the milk dimple mystery. On that basis I'm not sure I know the truth even after reading the article, because it seems to be one of those things with a lot of myth behind it and not a lot of definitive sources.

path: 0 21254958 21255499 21257632 21257763, hotness: undefined, score: 3, children: 0
Wizard_Pope 43 points 8 months ago

I would not know our milk comes in tetrapaks.

path: 0 21254563, hotness: undefined, score: 43, children: 16
boonhet 11 points 8 months ago

And liters

path: 0 21254563 21256213, hotness: undefined, score: 11, children: 0
RouxBru 4 points 8 months ago

Sweden?

path: 0 21254563 21256509, hotness: undefined, score: 4, children: 10
Wizard_Pope 3 points 8 months ago

Nah you're way off

path: 0 21254563 21256509 21256533, hotness: undefined, score: 3, children: 9
_Nico198X_ 4 points 8 months ago

South Africa?

path: 0 21254563 21256509 21256533 21256611, hotness: undefined, score: 4, children: 8
Wizard_Pope 6 points 8 months ago

That is even further off. It is in europe and you did get the first letter correct both times somehow.

path: 0 21254563 21256509 21256533 21256611 21256797, hotness: undefined, score: 6, children: 7
sunbeam60 4 points 8 months ago

The way the old Norse gods intended it to!

path: 0 21254563 21256201, hotness: undefined, score: 4, children: 1
Wizard_Pope 4 points 8 months ago

It would be the slavic gods in my case. Svarun be praised

path: 0 21254563 21256201 21256398, hotness: undefined, score: 4, children: 0
WhiskyTangoFoxtrot 1 point 8 months ago

Mine comes in bags.

path: 0 21254563 21258305, hotness: undefined, score: 1, children: 1
buddascrayon 1 point 8 months ago

Watching Glenn and Friends, I always marvel at this innovation. Wondering why we in America bother with so much package waste when milk can just come in a bag.

path: 0 21254563 21258305 21259113, hotness: undefined, score: 1, children: 0
CIA_chatbot 39 points 8 months ago

YOUR MOMS BLOWN INTO MOLDS!

path: 0 21259105, hotness: undefined, score: 39, children: 2
SpookyBogMonster 3 points 8 months ago

Yeah? Well I blew into your mom's mold last night!

path: 0 21259105 21267441, hotness: undefined, score: 3, children: 1
CIA_chatbot 4 points 8 months ago

How dare you! She’s been growing that slime mold for weeks! Her project is ruined! She’s gonna get fired from the research lab you fiend!

path: 0 21259105 21267441 21267808, hotness: undefined, score: 4, children: 0
MonkderVierte 38 points 8 months ago
path: 0 21257558, hotness: undefined, score: 38, children: 13
Anti_Iridium 29 points 8 months ago

America fuck yeah

path: 0 21257558 21257888, hotness: undefined, score: 29, children: 1
wolfeh 3 points 8 months ago

Comin' again to save the motherfucking day, yeah

path: 0 21257558 21257888 21264324, hotness: undefined, score: 3, children: 0
generic_computers 6 points 8 months ago

I'm in Western NY, the "fancy" milk comes in glass bottles while the "store brand" is in these plastic jugs.

I buy non-dairy milk though which comes in cartons.

path: 0 21257558 21261561, hotness: undefined, score: 6, children: 4
moonshadow 4 points 8 months ago

I've never seen a glass bottle of milk outside of old movies, around here it's plastic jugs and the "fancy" stuff comes in cartons

So this is how I find out I'm poor...

path: 0 21257558 21261561 21263354, hotness: undefined, score: 4, children: 2
exasperation 4 points 8 months ago

A lot of the glass bottle companies also recycle the bottles, so that you can swap your existing glass bottle for a new bottle and they'll take your old one back. It adds a little bit of logistical complication to the stores that deal with it, but it could be useful if you're really trying to reduce plastic usage and you drink a lot of milk.

path: 0 21257558 21261561 21263354 21263669, hotness: undefined, score: 4, children: 1
nomy 4 points 8 months ago

We have one particular brand here that does "Milk, ice cream & more" that has their milk in glass bottles. It's this ridiculous super premium thick milk, I get some of the chocolate sometimes.

I think it's about $6per (half gallon/4pint) which is considerably more than average but it's like drinking chocolate ice cream.

path: 0 21257558 21261561 21263354 21263669 21266233, hotness: undefined, score: 4, children: 0
Wren 2 points 8 months ago

We had those in Vancouver, too, which came from a dairy in the Greater Vancouver Area. I used to get fancy milk on payday and keep the bottles for crafts, away from the recycling bandits. They love them because you can get like a dollar back, per each.

path: 0 21257558 21261561 21265037, hotness: undefined, score: 2, children: 0
Lemminary 4 points 8 months ago

I've been using plastic bags for a while now. The difference in use is minimal, but I think the plastic difference is big.

path: 0 21257558 21259138, hotness: undefined, score: 4, children: 4
Wren 3 points 8 months ago

Okay but I've been in plastic bag land for a while and every goddamn time I make the first cut, I spill milk everywhere. Is there a trick? I already know the "both sides" method and put it in the jug before I cut the corner. Right now I just have a glass standing by for my obligatory shot every time I open one.

path: 0 21257558 21259138 21265081, hotness: undefined, score: 3, children: 3
Lemminary 2 points 8 months ago

I cut only a small hole from one of the corners, and when I pour, I prop up the other corner as I pour to keep the bag steady. There are probably better ways of doing it but this has worked for me so far.

path: 0 21257558 21259138 21265081 21269999, hotness: undefined, score: 2, children: 2
Wren 2 points 8 months ago

This worked! Thank you. My two-hole method was fucking me over.

path: 0 21257558 21259138 21265081 21269999 21279508, hotness: undefined, score: 2, children: 1
lost_faith 2 points 8 months ago

We have plastic bags

path: 0 21257558 21262494, hotness: undefined, score: 2, children: 0
SpruceBringsteen 35 points 8 months ago

These aren't dimples, it's the belly button. The umbilical cord was once attached to the jug at this point, after a few months of healing this is what the plastic scar tissue looks like.

path: 0 21253279, hotness: undefined, score: 35, children: 1
Lost_My_Mind 7 points 8 months ago

The other end of the umbilical cord goes straight to the cow. After it's cut, thats how you get cow udders!

If you jerk them the wrong way, 14 year old boys will giggle.

path: 0 21253279 21253415, hotness: undefined, score: 7, children: 0
marcos 33 points 8 months ago

You buy milk in gallon-sized hard plastic containers?

Is that a restaurant thing? How long does a gallon of milk last in your family?

path: 0 21253053, hotness: undefined, score: 33, children: 45
themeatbridge 48 points 8 months ago

It's a US thing. A gallon of milk will last my family about two weeks, or less if the kids are into baking or breakfast cereal that week. I sometimes put a little milk in my coffee or tea, and I occasionally use some for making sauces or marinades. Very rarely will we throw away milk because it has spoiled, but it has happened. Maybe once a year or so, usually because of a power outage or having to travel unexpectedly.

We also have half-gallon plastic jugs which feature the same dent sometimes. When I was a kid, I remember we even had tiny pint-sized jugs for half and half, but I think that was more of a novelty.

path: 0 21253053 21253111, hotness: undefined, score: 48, children: 34
Lost_My_Mind 19 points 8 months ago

Wait.....the rest of the world doesn't have hard jug gallons? What do they use instead?

path: 0 21253053 21253111 21253393, hotness: undefined, score: 19, children: 26
Hideakikarate 26 points 8 months ago

Bags

path: 0 21253053 21253111 21253393 21253422, hotness: undefined, score: 26, children: 7
Lost_My_Mind 8 points 8 months ago

That.....looks so messy! I know there's no crying over spilled milk, but have you SEEN the price of dairy??? Gotta work a second job just to afford breakfast!

path: 0 21253053 21253111 21253393 21253422 21253449, hotness: undefined, score: 8, children: 5
LillyPip 3 points 8 months ago

I miss bag milk. :(

So jealous.

path: 0 21253053 21253111 21253393 21253422 21256073, hotness: undefined, score: 3, children: 0
brb 25 points 8 months ago

1l cartons

path: 0 21253053 21253111 21253393 21253563, hotness: undefined, score: 25, children: 0
boboliosisjones 11 points 8 months ago

In Sweden we use 1 to 1,5L cartons.

path: 0 21253053 21253111 21253393 21253489, hotness: undefined, score: 11, children: 0
GregorGizeh 10 points 8 months ago

Futuristic technologies such as these

path: 0 21253053 21253111 21253393 21253599, hotness: undefined, score: 10, children: 1
X 2 points 8 months ago

What accursed alien unholy wizardry is this burn my eyes burn my eyes

path: 0 21253053 21253111 21253393 21253599 21256443, hotness: undefined, score: 2, children: 0
Deceptichum 7 points 8 months ago
path: 0 21253053 21253111 21253393 21253666, hotness: undefined, score: 7, children: 1
Monument 1 point 8 months ago

In the U.S. milk comes in half gallon and gallon measures, which look like your 2L and 3L containers, respectively.

Sometimes you will find milk in waxed paper cartons, but that is not the norm. (It’s very common, however, for dairy products that are often bought by pint and quart — typically half and half, heavy cream, or coffee creamers.) Our fancier non-dairy creamers tend to be in tetrapaks or cartons, with less expensive (or at least distributed in higher volumes) creamers in plastic bottles.

path: 0 21253053 21253111 21253393 21253666 21258231, hotness: undefined, score: 1, children: 0
stoy 7 points 8 months ago

When I grew up here in Sweden, milk came in these containers:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tetra_Brik

The design of milk packaging is quite interesting;

https://kommerduihag.se/...

15 years or so ago the Brik was changed to this:

https://www.arla.se/...

It was apparently done for two reasons:

  1. EU regulations started requiring that milk packages were sold in resealable containers.
  2. Customers had requested the same to enable storing the packages lying down.

A smaller version of the tetrahedron style package is still in use for coffee milk.

path: 0 21253053 21253111 21253393 21253793, hotness: undefined, score: 7, children: 0
Alcoholicorn 7 points 8 months ago

In Canada, they use gallon sized plastic bags

path: 0 21253053 21253111 21253393 21253428, hotness: undefined, score: 7, children: 6
RoastedMarshmallow 7 points 8 months ago

I've lived in various provinces in Canada. West of Ontario I really only see the waxed-paper cartons or the plastic jugs, stores carry both equally. Eastern Canada carries the plastic bags (and everyone has a plastic container at home they place them in after snipping the bag corner) and often the cartons. Bit weird the custom changes across Canada, and coming from the west I was very confused about the bagged milk when I first moved to Ontario.

Maybe someone else can comment on their experiences. I've never seen bagged milk in a store in the prairies (but I only lived in major cities).

path: 0 21253053 21253111 21253393 21253428 21253583, hotness: undefined, score: 7, children: 1
excursion22 4 points 8 months ago

Tbh, I haven't seen bagged milk for quite a while where I live in Canada. It's typically cartons for 2L or less (though sometimes mini plastic jugs too) and plastic jugs as in OP for 4L.

path: 0 21253053 21253111 21253393 21253428 21253522, hotness: undefined, score: 4, children: 2
Lemmyoutofhere 3 points 8 months ago

Well, a bag holding 3 x 1.3L bags.

path: 0 21253053 21253111 21253393 21253428 21253572, hotness: undefined, score: 3, children: 0
Cochise 6 points 8 months ago

One liter (0.26 gl) bottles or boxes.

path: 0 21253053 21253111 21253393 21253447, hotness: undefined, score: 6, children: 0
marcos 2 points 8 months ago

Just to add, in Brazil we usually have 1l cartoons of UHT milk or 1l bags of pasteurized milk.

Pasteurized milk goes bad in 3 days or so, and many people can't run through the entire 1l in that time. UHT milk will last for a good 2 weeks after opened, so I guess that's the kind you buy.

path: 0 21253053 21253111 21253393 21259293, hotness: undefined, score: 2, children: 0
Flames5123 1 point 8 months ago

Bags I think.

path: 0 21253053 21253111 21253393 21253421, hotness: undefined, score: 1, children: 0
Alsjemenou 1 point 8 months ago

Square space efficient packaging that you can finish within spoiling time, allowing for fresher products without additives. Easier to pour, packaging easily collapses for easier disposal. Fully printable and recyclable. A superior packaging in every single way.

path: 0 21253053 21253111 21253393 21257231, hotness: undefined, score: 1, children: 0
Cochise 0 points 8 months ago

I would never drink a milk that lasts two weeks. Real food spoils. This must be some liquid plastic.

path: 0 21253053 21253111 21253460, hotness: undefined, score: 0, children: 6
Horsecook 14 points 8 months ago
path: 0 21253053 21253111 21253460 21253982, hotness: undefined, score: 14, children: 4
GreyEyedGhost 7 points 8 months ago

Option number 4. The sanitary standards for packaging milk are very high in North America. This drastically reduces the risk of contamination after pasteurization, which allows our milk to last quite a while. It isn't as sterile as UHT milk, but it tastes more natural.

path: 0 21253053 21253111 21253460 21253982 21254059, hotness: undefined, score: 7, children: 3
themeatbridge 6 points 8 months ago

Fresh milk that's been pasteurized and refrigerated should last at least three weeks.

path: 0 21253053 21253111 21253460 21254150, hotness: undefined, score: 6, children: 0
QuinnyCoded 25 points 8 months ago

the container isnt very hard, it's pretty thin but I've never had one break. It's sold at grocery stores in the US (idk about others) and have only ever seen this kind or the cardboard kind.
Here's an image that's essentially what the milk section at my local Walmart looks like:

It really depends how long it will last because sometimes my family will go through two a week and other times it'll stay there for a couple weeks before being thrown out. In general I'd say about one gallon a week for 5 people.

What kind of container does milk come in from where you live?

path: 0 21253053 21253127, hotness: undefined, score: 25, children: 3
taiyang 8 points 8 months ago

I can confirm they do actually break quite easily... uh, from experience. They don't shatter, at least, you just end up with very leaky milk and a grocery store worker disappointed in you.

path: 0 21253053 21253127 21253621, hotness: undefined, score: 8, children: 1
QuinnyCoded 2 points 8 months ago

path: 0 21253053 21253127 21253621 21261782, hotness: undefined, score: 2, children: 0
LifeInMultipleChoice 4 points 8 months ago

It may not be hard, but man do I work it.
Jokes aside yeah I reuse my milk jugs to refill with tap water... And forget to replace it with a new one. So I use a milk jug for water for about a year, then remember to swap it out. So it is pretty structurally sound. (Though it may be leaking chemicals into my water .. idk)

path: 0 21253053 21253127 21253782, hotness: undefined, score: 4, children: 0
Envy 17 points 8 months ago
path: 0 21253053 21253101, hotness: undefined, score: 17, children: 0
MightBeAlpharius 7 points 8 months ago

Pretty sure it's mostly an American thing, but I'm not well-travelled enough to be sure.

And as for rate of consumption... When I was a kid, my parents made me drink a glass of milk every day - call that 8oz, so 56oz per week. That's a little under a half gallon (which you can also buy in plastic jugs), not including other uses like tea/coffee and cereal. Altogether, we'd go through about a gallon per week.

path: 0 21253053 21253230, hotness: undefined, score: 7, children: 0
JaymesRS 7 points 8 months ago

I have a family of four and we live in the Midwest in the United States; Minnesota to be specific. We will go through 5 gallons of milk in weeks time between cooking and drinking.

path: 0 21253053 21253376, hotness: undefined, score: 7, children: 0
Kolanaki 3 points 8 months ago

How long does a gallon of milk last in your family?

Months if you just mean how long it's in the fridge.

path: 0 21253053 21253315, hotness: undefined, score: 3, children: 0
someguy3 3 points 8 months ago

I bought them as the sole drinker.

path: 0 21253053 21253452, hotness: undefined, score: 3, children: 0
pixeltree 1 point 8 months ago

I can do a gallon of milk in two or three days

path: 0 21253053 21254622, hotness: undefined, score: 1, children: 0
pandore 31 points 8 months ago path: 0 21263637, hotness: undefined, score: 31, children: 9
SuspiciousCatThing 14 points 8 months ago

Absolute savages.

path: 0 21263637 21266197, hotness: undefined, score: 14, children: 0
IndieGoblin 8 points 8 months ago

This makes me irrationally uncomfortable. It feels like a direct attack on my worldview. You can't just put milk in a bag y-you just can't!

path: 0 21263637 21267626, hotness: undefined, score: 8, children: 4
okmko 5 points 8 months ago

I have vague memories of my childhood visits to my parent's native country where I drank milk from a bag.

... And shatting my brains out which was probably not because of the milk.

path: 0 21263637 21267626 21268781, hotness: undefined, score: 5, children: 3
Zentron 3 points 8 months ago

We still have bagged milk made by some smaller dairies , its less expencive to pacage in bags than bottles

path: 0 21263637 21267626 21268781 21274296, hotness: undefined, score: 3, children: 0
IndieGoblin 2 points 8 months ago

Exactly it was because of the bag

path: 0 21263637 21267626 21268781 21287377, hotness: undefined, score: 2, children: 1
okmko 2 points 8 months ago

100% because of the bag. It personally wanted revenge from being drunk from.

path: 0 21263637 21267626 21268781 21287377 21300579, hotness: undefined, score: 2, children: 0
QueenHawlSera 7 points 8 months ago

Heretic

path: 0 21263637 21267291, hotness: undefined, score: 7, children: 0
T00l_shed 5 points 8 months ago

All the milk bag haters here. You're a bunch of hosers!

path: 0 21263637 21274394, hotness: undefined, score: 5, children: 0
postmateDumbass 1 point 8 months ago

Udderly foolish!

path: 0 21263637 21269160, hotness: undefined, score: 1, children: 0
pixeltree 30 points 8 months ago

I don't mean to be rude, op, but I just straight up don't believe you. This just doesn't make sense.

Footnote: take memes seriously and get into fights with internet strangers

path: 0 21254680, hotness: undefined, score: 30, children: 4
themeatbridge 10 points 8 months ago

That's fair. You can believe what you want. But that doesn't make it less true.

path: 0 21254680 21254746, hotness: undefined, score: 10, children: 1
pixeltree 3 points 8 months ago

checks the community I'm in ohhhhhhh I'm a dumbass, of course that's what it's for

path: 0 21254680 21254746 21260482, hotness: undefined, score: 3, children: 0
meekah 3 points 8 months ago

What exactly doesn't make sense about this explanation?

path: 0 21254680 21255573, hotness: undefined, score: 3, children: 1
pixeltree 3 points 8 months ago

First of all, the problem it's claiming to solve doesn't make sense, you're not going to have enough variation in jugs to have a noticeable variation in the fill height of a gallon. Even if you did, for this solution to work, you'd have to be putting the dimple in it while it's filled and unsealed, which would be extremely difficult. On top of that, you'd have to vary the depth of each individual dimple for that bottles exact level of fill, adding extra challenge on top. Even if the problem as op describes it was occurring, it would be a fuckload effectively cheaper to just have some jugs look slightly underfilled than add this ridiculous step to the packaging process. Hell, it would be cheaper to go make your jug blowing process more reliable. It just doesn't add up. I'm not saying op is necessarily lying, they could be misremembering what they learned and be earnest about it. I could still be wrong too, but from what op has conveyed and how I've understood it it doesn't make sense.

path: 0 21254680 21255573 21260440, hotness: undefined, score: 3, children: 0
QuizzaciousOtter 30 points 8 months ago

Aren't moulds manufactured to incredibly high precision? I can't imagine them having imperfections big enough to cause visibly different fill levels.

However, my only qualification is hundreds of hours of watched How It's Made episodes so I might be completely wrong.

path: 0 21256433, hotness: undefined, score: 30, children: 1
2910000 6 points 8 months ago

You're more qualified than me, I've only watched How It's Actually Made

path: 0 21256433 21256921, hotness: undefined, score: 6, children: 0
Spaceballstheusername 15 points 8 months ago

I always thought it was to help prevent it exploding if dropped. I've dropped a gallon a couple times and the dimple pops out and the lid stays on. Kinda like an air bag.

path: 0 21253885, hotness: undefined, score: 15, children: 1
The_v 6 points 8 months ago

It adds flex to the container for variations of atmospheric pressure. It's what they mean by the fill levels.

Milk containers are filled by weight. The exact volume of the liquid can vary slightly based upon the atmospheric pressure.

If the container has no flex the top will pop off or the sides will crush in with pressure changes say when a truck drives over a mountain pass to deliver the milk.

path: 0 21253885 21254743, hotness: undefined, score: 6, children: 0
badlotus 12 points 8 months ago path: 0 21253689, hotness: undefined, score: 12, children: 0
BC_viper 12 points 8 months ago

Actually thats a lie. Its for baking a shallow pie in with the left over milk. Stop lying to everyone you bastard.

path: 0 21253313, hotness: undefined, score: 12, children: 0
FinjaminPoach 12 points 8 months ago

Very fascinating, so much so that i don't think it belongs in lemmy shitpost

path: 0 21254300, hotness: undefined, score: 12, children: 0
Habahnow 12 points 8 months ago

I'm confused, how are the dimples added after the milk is dispensed into the container? They would need to dispense the milk, measure the amount of milk missing from filling the slightly misshapen container, then add a dimple of the correct size so that the milk is nearly to the top. Is that correct? i'm going to have to look next time I'm buying milk to see if there's a variation in the dimple sizes.

path: 0 21253411, hotness: undefined, score: 12, children: 1
themeatbridge 3 points 8 months ago

Or they check the volume before they are filled. Air pressure or water could be used to check the capacity.

path: 0 21253411 21254126, hotness: undefined, score: 3, children: 0
Horsecook 8 points 8 months ago
path: 0 21253741, hotness: undefined, score: 8, children: 0
Draegur 8 points 8 months ago

huh wow. i was going to presume it was a storage volume quantity calibration of some kind. neat.

path: 0 21253073, hotness: undefined, score: 8, children: 0
Rentlar 7 points 8 months ago

Have never even really noticed them in west coast Canada's 4L milk jugs (215 mL/7.25 oz more than a gallon). I'm in bagged milk land for the holidays, so I can't check right now.

path: 0 21253233, hotness: undefined, score: 7, children: 0
melsaskca 7 points 8 months ago

This also describes hiding shrinkage.

path: 0 21257781, hotness: undefined, score: 7, children: 0
Johanno 7 points 8 months ago

Europa has as far as I know only 1 litre Tetra Pak milk (non see through) or 1 litre glass bottles (reusable).

path: 0 21267811, hotness: undefined, score: 7, children: 3
PapaStevesy 11 points 8 months ago

They found milk on one of Jupiter's moons?! Pretty cool, I guess.

path: 0 21267811 21268631, hotness: undefined, score: 11, children: 1
TomasEkeli 4 points 8 months ago

I think they're talking about Europa, the water-nymph and consort of Zeus.

I did not know she was that into milk packaging, but that's cool.

path: 0 21267811 21268631 21271659, hotness: undefined, score: 4, children: 0
RunawayFixer 3 points 8 months ago

It's going to depend on your country and the stores you visit. If I wanted to, I could buy milk in a plastic bottle in most stores in Belgium. Tetra pak also exist in various sizes, 200 ml is the smallest I've seen and 2l the largest.

path: 0 21267811 21267977, hotness: undefined, score: 3, children: 0
icelimit 6 points 8 months ago

I thought it was to have a place for the label. If dimple wouldn't it be easier to push it up from the bottom where there's a simple already?

path: 0 21253124, hotness: undefined, score: 6, children: 5
themeatbridge 3 points 8 months ago

The labels go on the flat sides, and the dimples would get in the way. The bottoms of the jugs are usually a thicker plastic, but I can't say for sure that this is why they don't put the dimple there.

path: 0 21253124 21253170, hotness: undefined, score: 3, children: 3
thurstylark 2 points 8 months ago

I was going to speculate that the dimensions of the bottom could be important for structural reasons, so if that was the case, a volume-adjustment dimple wouldn't be a good idea there.

path: 0 21253124 21253170 21253245, hotness: undefined, score: 2, children: 1
icelimit 1 point 8 months ago

The arch in the bottom serves a structural purpose, but the tolerances are definitely large enough to accommodate volume calibration.

path: 0 21253124 21253170 21253245 21253671, hotness: undefined, score: 1, children: 0
icelimit 2 points 8 months ago

Labels that are the same shape as the dimples.

path: 0 21253124 21253170 21253673, hotness: undefined, score: 2, children: 0
Truscape 1 point 8 months ago

That could be a "curb-cut effect" result for the initial purpose - used to ensure volume, but doubles as a good way to align a label.

path: 0 21253124 21253179, hotness: undefined, score: 1, children: 0
BCsven 5 points 8 months ago

The brand we used to buy would put their label there so it was protected from peeling off, Or rubbing against other jugs in transit. Things can have multiple purposes

path: 0 21253228, hotness: undefined, score: 5, children: 0
NachBarcelona 4 points 8 months ago

I didn't know that was some ofdd affair I can care this little about.

path: 0 21254564, hotness: undefined, score: 4, children: 0
BarneyPiccolo 4 points 8 months ago

I always believed that it was to allow for expansion of the product when it freezes. I often freeze similar jugs full of water, to use in coolers, and that big dimple always ends up pushed out after it's frozen solid. If it hadn't been for that expansion dimple, the jug would have split.

path: 0 21258035, hotness: undefined, score: 4, children: 5
sartalon -1 points 8 months ago

Milk is ruined if it is frozen.

path: 0 21258035 21258065, hotness: undefined, score: -1, children: 4
BarneyPiccolo 5 points 8 months ago

I hate milk, so I never drink it today, but as a kid, I drank a lot of thawed milk. My mom always bought two gallons, and froze one while we used the first. It might not please a milk connoisseur, but it always tasted fine. It certainly wasn't spoiled, or anything like that.

path: 0 21258035 21258065 21258135, hotness: undefined, score: 5, children: 3
sartalon 2 points 8 months ago

It causes the fat to separate. Maybe she got skim milk?

path: 0 21258035 21258065 21258135 21258426, hotness: undefined, score: 2, children: 2
BarneyPiccolo 2 points 8 months ago

1-2%, so I never noticed any separation. I always shook up the milk whenever I used it on my cereal anyway. Probably still would, if I ever was to use milk for something.

path: 0 21258035 21258065 21258135 21258426 21258535, hotness: undefined, score: 2, children: 1
Etterra 3 points 8 months ago

No I never thought to ask about it. But it's good to know, I guess?

path: 0 21267905, hotness: undefined, score: 3, children: 0
DonutsRMeh 3 points 8 months ago

Your explanation doesn’t make sense to me. The dimple is in the center of the jug, how is it related to the level of milk there?

path: 0 21253370, hotness: undefined, score: 3, children: 4
themeatbridge 2 points 8 months ago

If the jug holds slightly more than a gallon, if you squeeze the sides, it holds less.

path: 0 21253370 21254155, hotness: undefined, score: 2, children: 3
DonutsRMeh 1 point 8 months ago

What are you saying? Are they trying to make it hold less? Hold more? Not following.

path: 0 21253370 21254155 21260048, hotness: undefined, score: 1, children: 2
themeatbridge 2 points 8 months ago

With plastic blown molds, especially when you make millions of them, there are going to be slight variations in the sizes. If the jug is too big, they use the dimple to reduce the volume of milk you can fit inside. The bigger the jug, the deeper the dimple. If you look at many jugs at the store, they will all be roughly the same diameter but different depths. Some don't have any dimple at all.

path: 0 21253370 21254155 21260048 21262637, hotness: undefined, score: 2, children: 1
DonutsRMeh 2 points 8 months ago

Ah, this makes sense now. Sorry, English is the second language and it takes some extra processing to get things sometimes. lol

path: 0 21253370 21254155 21260048 21262637 21263766, hotness: undefined, score: 2, children: 0
TheObviousSolution 3 points 8 months ago

Cool fact, makes sense and it is absolutely trivial but interesting. Thanks!

path: 0 21267947, hotness: undefined, score: 3, children: 0
ikidd 2 points 8 months ago

It's so the sides don't sag or bulge when full. It's like corrugations in metal roofing/siding. Lets them get away with thinner walls.

path: 0 21267371, hotness: undefined, score: 2, children: 1
themeatbridge 3 points 8 months ago

If that were true, they would be on every jug of milk, and they would all be the same size. I have a gallon jug in my fridge right now that doesn't have a dimple, but does have a circle where it should be.

path: 0 21267371 21268934, hotness: undefined, score: 3, children: 0
SethTaylor 2 points 8 months ago

The title of this post led me to believe it was about something else entirely

path: 0 21267425, hotness: undefined, score: 2, children: 0
MedicPigBabySaver 1 point 8 months ago

Fuck Reddit and Fuck Spez.

path: 0 21258891, hotness: undefined, score: 1, children: 2
maus 7 points 8 months ago

path: 0 21258891 21259089, hotness: undefined, score: 7, children: 0
themeatbridge 1 point 8 months ago

k

path: 0 21258891 21268927, hotness: undefined, score: 1, children: 0
lemmyshitpost
lemmyshitpost

@lemmy.world

login for more options
41483
28952
15375

Welcome to Lemmy Shitpost. Here you can shitpost to your hearts content.

Anything and everything goes. Memes, Jokes, Vents and Banter. Though we still have to comply with lemmy.world instance rules. So behave!


Rules:

1. Be Respectful

Refrain from using harmful language pertaining to a protected characteristic: e.g. race, gender, sexuality, disability or religion.

Refrain from being argumentative when responding or commenting to posts/replies. Personal attacks are not welcome here.

...


2. No Illegal Content

Content that violates the law. Any post/comment found to be in breach of common law will be removed and given to the authorities if required.

That means:

-No promoting violence/threats against any individuals

-No CSA content or Revenge Porn

-No sharing private/personal information (Doxxing)

...


3. No Spam

Posting the same post, no matter the intent is against the rules.

-If you have posted content, please refrain from re-posting said content within this community.

-Do not spam posts with intent to harass, annoy, bully, advertise, scam or harm this community.

-No posting Scams/Advertisements/Phishing Links/IP Grabbers

-No Bots, Bots will be banned from the community.

...


4. No Porn/Explicit

Content


-Do not post explicit content. Lemmy.World is not the instance for NSFW content.

-Do not post Gore or Shock Content.

...


5. No Enciting Harassment,

Brigading, Doxxing or Witch Hunts


-Do not Brigade other Communities

-No calls to action against other communities/users within Lemmy or outside of Lemmy.

-No Witch Hunts against users/communities.

-No content that harasses members within or outside of the community.

...


6. NSFW should be behind NSFW tags.

-Content that is NSFW should be behind NSFW tags.

-Content that might be distressing should be kept behind NSFW tags.

...

If you see content that is a breach of the rules, please flag and report the comment and a moderator will take action where they can.


Also check out:

Partnered Communities:

1.Memes

2.Lemmy Review

3.Mildly Infuriating

4.Lemmy Be Wholesome

5.No Stupid Questions

6.You Should Know

7.Comedy Heaven

8.Credible Defense

9.Ten Forward

10.LinuxMemes (Linux themed memes)


Reach out to

All communities included on the sidebar are to be made in compliance with the instance rules. Striker

go to feed...