City signs up to free tap water scheme in war against plastic

Small Batch Coffee Company, The Flour Pot Bakery, Marwood’s Cafe, Fitness First, ibis Hotel and traders in the Open Market have all signed up to the Refill Brighton and Hove scheme.

A partnership between Brighton Peace and Environment Centre, Bristol-based City to Sea (which piloted the initiative in 2015), and a team of committed volunteers, Refill Brighton and Hove encourages people to fall back in love with tap water and prevent plastic pollution.

Refill Brighton and Hove is part of a nationwide scheme that aims to make filling up reusable water bottles as easy and convenient as possible by introducing a city-wide network of ‘Refill Stations’ – places where people are free to ask for their bottles to be refilled with no obligation to purchase anything.

Participating cafés, bars, restaurants, shops, hotels and other businesses show their commitment by displaying a sticker in their window, and adding themselves to the Refill map. A free downloadable app available from refill.org.uk shows exact locations of refill points, including publicly accessible mains water taps (such as the ones on The Level and Hove beach huts).

In the UK an estimated 800 plastic bottles a minute are either ending up in landfill or as litter, many of them make their way into our waterways and seas. Globally, eight million tonnes of plastic finds its way into the oceans each year.

Mala Nathan, Refill Brighton and Hove’s project co-ordinator, said: “We’re delighted by the overwhelmingly positive response by businesses in the city to this campaign. We are collectively becoming all too aware of the environmental impact of our consumption of single-use plastics, from drinking straws to take-away packaging. Refill is a simple campaign that can drastically reduce our consumption of single use plastic bottles, as well as encouraging a culture of community and healthy hydration.

“Brighton Peace and Environment Centre is leading on the Refill Brighton initiative, and since September we have been focusing on establishing our network of Refill Stations around the city. Next year, we’ll be launching the network to the public and looking at ways to encourage people to change their behaviour and start refilling. We also plan to distribute reusable water bottles at major events such as Brighton Marathon and Pride, and at key locations such as Brighton Station.”

Louise Tamadon-Nejad, marketing manager of the Flour Pot Bakery, said: “We try our best at the Flour Pot Bakery to do our bit for the planet, whenever we can. With an estimated 12 million tonnes of plastic entering the oceans each year, and residues being routinely found in fish, sea birds and marine mammals, we must act to support local initiatives being set up to combat this."We believe that Refill Brighton shares our values in looking to end single use plastic, wherever possible. Across our five stores in Brighton and Hove, we offer you a place to refill your own water bottle, without feeling awkward. We aim to help Refill Brighton cut down on the use of plastic water bottles drastically, reduce litter and create a healthier environment for our community".

Refill Brighton and Hove is seeking a headline sponsor to support its activity across the city in 2018. Interested businesses can email [email protected]