REFILL COMMUNITIES MAKING WAVES

Refill Communities driving lasting change

Our Refill Communities are the beating heart of the #RefillRevolution - passionate individuals serving as ambassadors in their local area by connecting people to reuse solutions, empowering businesses to cut plastic waste, and driving lasting change.    

Thanks to the incredible grassroots action of Refill Communities, we’re connected millions of people with places where they can eat, drink and shop without plastic. 

Read on for a round up of some of the amazing work our existing Refill communities have been doing in their local area and say hello to our newest members….  

Refill Chester

Sustainable Cheshire have been busy with the launch and delivery of the Cheshire Cup – a returnable coffee cup scheme running throughout the town centre partnering with local coffee shops to offer a solution to the single use. Refill Cheshire have been busy leading a steering group on new and innovative ways to utilise Refill and Reuse to tackle plastic waste. They have been busy continuing to sign up Refill stations and are looking to engage with their local Council and BID. Refill Cheshire are making waves to create a plan for Refill 2024. You can check out their Cheshire Cup and Cheshire Cup Club here.  

Refill Eastbourne

Refill Eastbourne have been busy continuing to update and add Refill stations and engage with new businesses across Eastbourne. They have recently had a very successful beach clean covering 94 beaches along the seafront with support from their volunteers who have ‘adopted a beach’ all 94 beaches have now been adopted! Refill Eastbourne has recently onboarded a volunteer who will be supporting across their Refill work, engaging with new businesses and keeping current up to date. They are also thinking about ways they can create interactive games and opportunities for families to engage with Refill, watch this space!  

Refill Margate

Massive win for Refill Margate! Rise Up Clean Up Margate have managed after 2 years of campaigning and fundraising, to get Thanet District Council to install Thanet’s first dedicated water fountain on Margate Main Sands. The water fountain was paid for 100% by the community, who have been donating to Refill Margate over the past few years. The installation and maintenance of the fountain will be the responsibility of Thanet District Council. Rise Up Clean Up Margate hope that this will be a massive step towards plastic reduction around Main Sands beach. The fountain will eliminate the need to purchase single use plastic bottles and will provide a convenient place to top up reusable water bottles. It will be fully operational from the start of the summer season. 

(Refill Wimborne)

Refill Wimborne

Wimborne War on Waste had a successful event last month promoting Refill to businesses and wider community at the Wimborne Green Festival.

Refill Gorleston

Refill Gorleston, Say It With Stitches attended the We Out There festival in Great Yarmouth last month with a Refill stand and a host of activity. They had a successful event engaging with new businesses and to sign up to the Refill app.  

(Refill Gorleston @ Out There Festival with Refill stand)

A WARM WELCOME TO OUR NEW REFILL COMMUNITIES

Refill Liverpool – We are so excited to welcome Refill Liverpool to our Refill Community. Led by two passionate Individuals with a drive to implement Refill and Reuse alternatives to a single use plastic problem they have witness in Liverpool City. Both Melissa and Jane are excited to kick of their road to Refill by engaging with local businesses to offer Refill solutions and connecting their wider community to the Refill app. They have already listed a number of stations and next will be working with our Refill team and City to Sea partners to find solutions and funding to enable them to instal a free water fountain in the town centre. They also want to look at how they can engage their Council and BID in supporting a returnable cup scheme in the future.

Refill Bangor – Our new community in Bangor is led by a passionate group of students committed to driving change within local businesses, wider community and across their university campus. They hope to unite with other passionate individuals to spread the fulfilling nature of refilling. They believe in the war against single use materials and wastage, they need numbers to be on board. They hope to not only connect the community and students to places they can refill their water but to also look at how they can introduce refillable tapware on campus, after identifying that takeaway lunch packaging (even for dine in!) is a big contributor to single use plastic waste.

Refill Communities in the Highlands, Scotland
All of the below organisations are part of the Highland Community Waste Partnership (HCWP). Together they are working to reduce waste in communities across the Highlands by changing the way that we all consume. The HCWP aims to build a movement for more sustainable consumption focusing on three key areas of work: food waste, share & repair and single-use packaging.

Refill Inverness is led by social enterprise – Velocity Café and Bicycle Workshop
Refill Lochaber is led by Lochaber Environmental Community Group
Refill Skye is led by Broadford & Strath Community Group
Refill Black Isle is led by Transition Black Isle Community Group
Refill Thurso is led by Thurso Community Trust
Refill Ullapool is led by Lochbroom & Ullapool Community Trust
Refill Lairg is led by Lairg & District Learning Centre

OUR REFILL COMMUNITY HEROS

Our communities are the beating heart and driving force of the Refill campaign. A few months back, we launched our Refill Heroes series with our partners Chilly’s to celebrate the passionate individuals serving as ambassadors in their local area. Since we last caught up with you guys we have put a spotlight on Refill Dorset and Refill Putney. Discover the other inspiring community stories. 

 Check out our latest Refill Community heroes  story from Refill Putney!