Plastic pollution campaigning organisation, City to Sea has expanded its award-winning Refill app, meaning that people in Wales can now search for zero waste shopping opportunities all over the country.
From 1st October, people in Wales will be able to use the free app to find out where to refill their coffee cup, water bottle or lunchbox; shop for groceries; and even top up their cleaning products and toiletries packaging-free. Refill is the world’s first dedicated app which helps customers find ways to shop waste-free.
The app will also highlight where discounts might be available to reward customers for reducing their single-use packaging. This means that businesses in Wales who offer reuse or packaging-free options can use the app as a free marketing platform to drive footfall and increase sales.
Rebecca Burgess, CEO of City to Sea, said: “The expansion of Refill marks a positive and significant step in tackling the mountains of avoidable single-use waste created every day. We know we can stay safe and look after the planet, and at City to Sea we want to make it easier for people to eat, drink and shop without pointless plastic. From a coffee on your commute, to drinking water on the go, and shopping with less packaging, Refill puts the power to reduce plastic at your fingertips.”
The real cost of single use
The launch of the expanded Refill app in Wales comes at a critical time for the planet and follows an explosion in the use of single-use plastic thanks to a knee-jerk response to the global pandemic. Since March, many cafes and retailers temporarily stopped the use of reusables and increased the use of single-use plastic, despite over one hundred health experts stating reusables are perfectly safe to use, and only 5% of customers feeling that single-use items are safer than reusables. Luckily in Cardiff, many coffee shops bucked that trend, and banded together to get reusable coffee cups back on the menu.
The Welsh Government has a long-standing aim for a zero waste Wales by 2050, and is consulting on restricting the sale of some single-use plastics from 2021. It is hoped that the new updated Refill app could make a big contribution to driving the necessary behaviour change to deliver this, making re-use and refilling the new social norm.
People looking for businesses in Wales who offer refills, reduce packaging and support zero waste initiatives, should download the app at https://refill.org.uk/get-the-refill-app/.
Welsh businesses back refill & reuse
The Refill app already connects users to over 30,000 places with over 1,600 business providing free tap water refills in Wales, including museums, bars, galleries, and supermarkets; as well as smaller, family businesses like Cadwaladers, a chain of Welsh cafes that originated in Gwynedd.
Now Costa, Morrisons, and LUSH have joined thousands of forward-thinking independent local businesses, like butchers, bakers and green-grocers; and over a hundred zero-waste and packaging free shops; to highlight their willingness to accept reusables and refills on many different products – not just tap water.
Sophie Rae from Ripple ‘Zero Waste’ shop in Cardiff, said: ““Since opening our doors in November 2018, the local community has surpassed every expectation I set. They’ve welcomed a refill mentality with ease. I hope the expansion of the Refill app will bring more awareness to the sustainable communities who are thriving in Cardiff.”
City to Sea is now calling for other forward-thinking businesses in the food-to-go or retail sector to join the app. They welcome businesses who already allow customers to bring their own containers, those who offer packaging-free options, and those wanting to trial a refill service for the first time.
Nook, a local, independent restaurant specialising in seasonal small plates, has joined the Refill app to allow customers to buy their natural wines, packaging free. Owner Phill Lewis said, “Sustainability is at the heart of what we do at Nook; from the ingredients in our dishes, to the suppliers we use. We’ve always offered customers the chance to bring their own bottles and ‘refill’ them with our house wines which are available on draught, so being able to advertise that on the Refill app makes perfect sense.”
Forward thinking businesses can sign up as a Refill Station and add their own details by registering for free on the app at https://refill.org.uk/get-the-refill-app/.
