Ready, steady eau - Shrewsbury launching water bottle refill scheme
A new scheme which will allow people to refill their water bottles for free in Shrewsbury will launch this week.
Water company Severn Trent is set to launch a Refill Scheme.
The company has teamed up with founding organisation City to Sea to roll out the scheme across the town tomorrow.
The initiative will allow people to fill up reusable water bottles for free at member businesses - such as pubs, restaurants and cafés.
Businesses involved simply display the Refill window sticker to let passers-by know they can fill up for free. A smartphone app is also available which maps out Refill station locations.
Watch the video to find out more:
Severn Trent’s corporate responsibility lead, Jess Fidler, said: “We’re in Shrewsbury town centre with our volunteers aiming to sign up as many local businesses as possible. We want independent retailers to be part of it, and the bigger chains too. It’s a chance to promote the wonderful benefits of water.
“As well as making access to tap water easier, Refill is a brilliant way to reduce plastic pollution and cut the amount of bottles ending up in rivers, canals and landfill sites.
Encourage
"It is estimated that the nationwide Refill Scheme will cut plastic bottle use by tens of millions each year.
“I’d encourage as many large or small businesses as possible in Shrewsbury to get involved.”
Severn Trent will be joined by Shrewsbury Friends of the Earth on the day.
Frank Oldaker from the group said: "We are keen to encourage people to use their own refillable water bottles and making it easy is essential. Single-use plastics contribute greatly to the litter problem, as we found when we litter picked the banks of The Severn through the town last summer and through our involvement in the Rea Brook Clean Up. This initiative deserves widespread support.”
Nicola Dalton, owner of the Stop. Café in Shrewsbury town centre, which will be hosting the Refill volunteering team, added: “We are delighted to be a part of this great initiative from Severn Trent. At Stop. we are already striving to become more environmentally aware, so this campaign will help us on that journey.”
Data shows that around 7.7 billion plastic bottles are bought across the UK each year, resulting in substantial amounts of single-use plastic waste. The average UK household uses 480 plastic bottles a year, but only recycles 270 of them.
The Refill app can be downloaded for free on Google Play or via the App Store. See refill.org.uk
