When the bottles are returned the dairy, they are loaded on the system from the crates. During which, they are inspected for any damage or contamination.

Any bottles that are found to be damaged are correctly disposed of to be re-cycled. Any found to be contaminated or soiled are separated, and manually cleaned before continuing to the automated cleaning process.

The bottles are loaded into the machine upside down and are cleaned inside and out using a series of high-pressure jets.

The three main phases of this process include an initial pre-rinse, which is then followed by the main washing cycle using food safe detergents. During this phase, which typically lasts for 15-20 mins, the temperature remains constantly above 64 ̊C.

The bottles are then put though a final rinse which brings the temperature down prior to being filled.

You can read more about the process here!