Minnesota members, Got Milk??

What ever happened to the Mn law that banned selling milk in non-returnable non-refillable plastic jugs?

I know it was upheld by the US Supreme court.

Was it ever rescinded or changed?
Replaced with a deposit law?
Expanded to juice or water?
Are you all still buying your milk in paperboard cartons? Glass jugs?

Can Kwik-Trip sell their "milk-in-a-bag" ?

Re: Minnesota members, Got Milk??

I've been driving over to WI to buy my Non-returnables. I put them at the bottom of the recycling and hope they go unnoticed.

Edit - Not really. Non returnables are everywhere. Sorry to mislead.

Re: Minnesota members, Got Milk??

roscoe said:

Can Kwik-Trip sell their "milk-in-a-bag" ?

Click to expand...

What in the H-E- double L is up with that milk in a bas BS??? The first time I saw that was when I visited Canada for the first time and I'm like "What kind of idiot dreamed this up and what kind of nincompoop would buy their milk like this???"

The 1/2 and 1 gallon plastic milk jugs are so much handier and sensible! There's a million things you can do with them when they're empty like make a bilge bailer out of them, they work great for marker buoys for marking navigation hazards, they can be used for a watering can for your potted flowers, put your used motor oil in them to take to the recycle center and bunches of other things.

If they ever stopped selling milk in plastic jugs down here I would become highly irate!!!:mad-new:

Re: Minnesota members, Got Milk??

Well captmello, I'll take that as a yes, the law is still in place. ??

What about other drinks like water or juice?

Don't worry about the recycling police. The law prevents sales, not possession or recycling.
Actually, I'm sure they would applaud your recycling efforts.


jigngrub, there are several advantages to the milk in a bag.

One, less plastic. Less cost.
Two, less space. How many empty gallon jugs do you think fit in a semi trailer on the way to the dairy?
Now how many million flat plastic bags will fit in the same truck?

How many gallons of milk fit in a milk crate? 4, in the old plastic ones, 6 in the newer metal crates.
Make that number 6 and 9 gallons respectively in bags. Again, utilizing freight space much more efficiently.

How many bags of milk can you pack in a veggie drawer, or on a short 4" shelf in your fridge? A lot.
You can also freeze it in the bag and pack it efficiently in a cooler.

You've been to Canada, so you know that in many locations, a grocery store can be several hours away; buying in volume, transporting, and freezing your milk is the only economical way to get it.


And using plastic jugs as marker buoys to mark navigation hazards is one of the reasons why they banned them in the first place, to keep them from laying around on the planet forever. This was in the 70's, before many or any recycling programs existed for plastics. Mn is a very, dare I say it, progressive state.

I suspect the logging industry and paperboard manufacturers pushed the legislation also.

Still looking for anyone from MN that may have answers to the questions above.

Re: Minnesota members, Got Milk??

really? no one buys milk or juice in MN ?

Re: Minnesota members, Got Milk??

roscoe said:

really? no one buys milk or juice in MN ?

Click to expand...

I never have ... :facepalm:

Re: Minnesota members, Got Milk??

aspeck said:

I never have ... :facepalm:

Click to expand...

Neither have I.

Re: Minnesota members, Got Milk??

captmello said:

I've been driving over to WI to buy my Non-returnables. I put them at the bottom of the recycling and hope they go unnoticed.

Click to expand...

Sorry Roscoe, I posted this in jest, but failed to make that clear. I can buy all the nonreturnable containers here with no problem.

A brief search taught me that a law prohibiting non returnable plastic containers was passed in 1977. In 1981, a lawsuit was brought by a local milk producer to change the law. The case went to the supreme court but I couldn't figure out what the final verdict was. It was all done before the disposable containers were commonly uesd. I believe part of the lawsuit was that the law would limit who could sell milk in MN since they would have to use returnable packaging, which some producers didn't offer. The state argued that the solid waste would spike as a result of the non returnables.

Sorry again for the misleading post. I've been able to buy the nonreturnables in MN as long as I can remember. I do buy a lot of groceries in WI just out of convenience since I'm close to the border, but not for milk specifically.

Why the sudden interest?

Re: Minnesota members, Got Milk??

... and I just visit Minnesota. When I do, and I buy milk ... I have to buy pet food from the locals

Re: Minnesota members, Got Milk??

We buy all our milk and juice here in MN in non returnable, plastic, gallon jugs. I have noticed certain products going to bags though. The protein powder I use just went to a silly bag from a nice plastic tub. I can think of several others like some detergents and other staple type things.

Re: Minnesota members, Got Milk??

captmello said:

Sorry Roscoe, I posted this in jest, but failed to make that clear. I can buy all the nonreturnable containers here with no problem.

A brief search taught me that a law prohibiting non returnable plastic containers was passed in 1977. In 1981, a lawsuit was brought by a local milk producer to change the law. The case went to the supreme court but I couldn't figure out what the final verdict was. It was all done before the disposable containers were commonly uesd. I believe part of the lawsuit was that the law would limit who could sell milk in MN since they would have to use returnable packaging, which some producers didn't offer. The state argued that the solid waste would spike as a result of the non returnables.

Sorry again for the misleading post. I've been able to buy the nonreturnables in MN as long as I can remember. I do buy a lot of groceries in WI just out of convenience since I'm close to the border, but not for milk specifically.

Why the sudden interest?

Click to expand...

I figured you purchases were just for convenience, but wasn't sure.
I do remember the colored margarine bans. Did you know that margarine was originally
made from beef fat, and has been made from whale and seal fat? But I digress.





Why the sudden interest?


Read an article about the plastic bottle ban in Concord Mass.
It reminded me of a friend that moved to Mn in the 80's, I remember him talking about buying milk in paper cartons.

When I googled for more details about the Mass law, the MN law Supreme court results showed up.
This got me thinking about my favorite road trip pit stop, Kwik-Trip, which put the whole milk in a bag issue in my head.
And, I also know about some small boutique dairies in MN, that sell their milk in glass.
This is the scary connect the dots way my mind works, when it works at all.

Yes, the law was upheld by the US Supreme court, saying that the equal protection clause does not apply to the plaintiff, because it banned all dairies from selling milk in non-returnable, non-refillable jugs.

Re: Minnesota members, Got Milk??

jkust said:

We buy all our milk and juice here in MN in non returnable, plastic, gallon jugs. I have noticed certain products going to bags though. The protein powder I use just went to a silly bag from a nice plastic tub. I can think of several others like some detergents and other staple type things.

Click to expand...

Ok, thanks, so they either changed the law, or just don't enforce it.
I know we bought milk for the hotel when we were at Mayo a few years ago, but can't remember if it was in plastic or not.
I do remember that the super mega gigantic walmart had the tiniest dairy section of any grocery store I had ever been in. Dang, there goes my brain again.


:mad-new: