Refill Guide for Events: Schemes & Local Communities

Community Action

We know you want to do more to tackle waste in your local community and many of you have highlighted events as one of the main culprits. In response to this, and in consultation with key stakeholders, we have created this guide to help you to usher a new sector into the circular economy.

We pulled together all the resources you need to engage event producers in your area and encourage them that now is the time to stop using disposable plastic cups and other serveware and that now is the time to transition to reusable models of serving beverages and food.

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HOW TO GET INVOLVED

SHARE THE GUIDE

We need you guys to become our eyes and ears on the ground – identifying events that are currently using single-use cups and encourage them to make the switch to reuse. Please share our guide with them and make sure they know that the local community is right behind them and will appreciate their improvements. If you meet resistance do signpost the Refill campaign. We are here to help businesses make these crucial changes.

MAKE SOME NOISE ON SOCIAL MEDIA

Let the world know if an event in your area is a plastic problem. Take a picture and share this on social media using the hashtag #CutTheCups and tagging City to Sea and the event company to let them know you want to be able to choose to reuse when attending their event. More on social media below.

REACH OUT TO EVENT BUSINESSES AND VENUES IN YOUR AREA

If you have a university in your town, reach out to the catering and sustainability departments. introduce yourself and share the guide with them.

LOBBY YOUR LOCAL COUNCIL

Ask your council to do more to tackle single-use plastic at events in your area. You can use our email template below.

You can find your local councillor using this tool – www.writetothem.com

Email / Letter for your councillor

Dear [insert councillor’s name],

I volunteer in your council area for one of City to Sea’s Refill Scheme community groups. We would like [COUNCIL NAME] to do more.

Many councils in the UK are already acting and we believe there are lessons to be learnt. For example:

  • Cambridge Council has banned the use of single-use plastics on council land
  • Manchester City Council provides reusable cups for their Christmas Market traders and are trialling cups for summer events also.
  • Brighton and Hove Council provide guidance to their event organisers to reduce the environmental impacts of their events.

We want our council to take these actions and more. To this end, I am sharing this new guide and resource from City to Sea which shows you exactly how you make a difference.

I hope you agree these resources are useful and that you are willing to take them forward to

make sure our council is doing all it can.

In summary though, the three main actions I would like our council to take:

  1. Share the guide – make sure event organisers, partner organisations and community groups in your local area can access this free support.
  2. Tackle single-use at the council’s own events – make sure that single-use cups are a thing of the past at your own events, buildings and facilities.
  3. Tackle single-use events at other organisations events – drive through change by encouraging all event producers in the area to switch to reusable models.

Please do let me know how you will take this forward.

Many thanks,

[Insert your name]

MAKE SOME NOISE ON SOCIAL MEDIA

Whatever actions you take, please keep us in the loop. This helps us to bring the Refill Revolution to life and helps us to share best practice.

Have you found an event using reusable cups? Show them some love! Or, if you’ve visited an event that’s drowning in single-use plastic – call them out and let them know you want to see change! Share the guide with them and tag us on social media using #CutTheCups

Our social channels are:
Twitter – @Refill
Instagram – @refillhq
Facebook – @RefillHQ

Back to the Refill Events Guide Hub