h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Years ago, when I did the occasional spot of barwork, there were only a couple of types of beer bottle in use in the UK - most flagons and smaller bottles were identical and could be returned to any supplier. The same was true of soft drinks such as SCH you know who.
In an earlier era, jam jars were returnable as well.

Nowadays, as the article rightly points out, most bottles seem to be disposables.

Travelling tip - if staying in hotels in certain countries, such as Malta and Turkey, leave all your empty bottles to be collected by the room cleaners - they return them and get cash in exchange. (this includes wine bottles, pop bottles, in fact pretty well anything made of glass)
Or you could be a real miser and return them yourself.

Some bottles are returnable. The little Britvic mixers tend to be, and also Newcastle Brown Ale bottles. Most pubs who stock Newcy Brown, send the bottles back to the brewery for reuse.

Hi Andrew - many bottles used in pubs are returnable, particularly beers and mini mixers such as the britvic thingies. The sad fact remains that if you buy your boooze at a supermarket or other outlet in the UK they wont accept the returned empties. For shame - we are running out of landfill sites and big stores don't seem to care.

Bob