With reports stating that Europeans recycle only 7% of the estimated nine billion plastic milk bottles they purchase each year, sustainability efforts are gaining a foothold. One U.K. supermarket chain is doing its part to advance the "green" movement.

The Waitrose chain has begun marketing milk in plastic bags after consumers reacted positively to in-store trials in 2007, according to www.sustainableisgood.com. Waitrose is promoting the new bags in more than 50 stores across the United Kingdom, including several in London.

Waitrose says the bag, called an Eco Pak, uses 75% less plastic than milk containers. Consumers who purchase the bags at Waitrose stores can pour their milk into a reusable jug, purchased separately.

Cartons and plastic and glass bottles continue to dominate milk packaging in the United States, but many of them aren't recycled here, either. Is the time right for eco-friendly milk packaging ideas, such as bagged packs, in the United States as well?