Refill to Reduce
Every year around the world we create more than 300 million tonnes of plastic – and half of this is single-use. [Refill]
Single-use plastic and plastic packaging have a monumental impact on health, communities, and the environment (and of course these are all interconnected!).
One of the worst offenders are plastic bottles, with a million of them sold every minute around the world–a figure that’s expected to grow by 20% by 2021. In the U.S.A. alone, more than 60 million plastic water bottles are thrown away every day. Most end up in landfills, gutters and waterways. (Container Recycling Institute)
Beyond plastic bottles, single-use packaging can often seem unavoidable when it comes to our daily lives. Here in the UK, our ‘lunch on the go’ habit generates 11 billion items of packaging waste a year. We also get through a whopping 2.5 billion coffee cups each year –enough to stretch around the world roughly five and a half times! [Refill]
Whilst the scale of the globe’s plastic problem can be overwhelming and requires deep, systemic change, our individual actions and choices can still make an impact. Read on to find out more and make sure to let us know if you make this action your #ecoresolution!
Some Stats
Global bottled water sales hit nearly $218 billion in 2020. Sales are expected to rise by 11% a year through 2028. (Grand View Research)
A recent study out of Europe found that the impact of bottled water on natural resources, including the millions of barrels of oil needed to manufacture all those plastic bottles, is 3,500 times higher than for tap water. (Science of the Total Environment)
The Coca-Cola Company and PepsiCo are the market leaders for bottled water — filtering and bottling tap water, and then selling it at a big markup.
In 2021, the Coca-Cola Company and PepsiCo were also ranked as the world’s top plastic polluters for the 4th consecutive year according to Break Free From Plastic, whose latest global Brand Audit report also charges the same leading plastic polluters for fueling the climate crisis.
Plastic bottles are the most prevalent macroplastic found in European freshwater environments. (City to Sea)
The Action: Minimise your plastic waste by using refillable packaging.
Despite the wider systemic issues related to plastic production and plastic waste, as individuals there are very simple changes and choices that we can each make to minimise our personal plastic waste, to live aligned to our values, and also to demonstrate to corporations the desire for no more single-use plastic packaging. Using refillable containers is an easy individual action to take - particularly when it comes to water, coffee on the go, and takeout lunches.
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The first and most obvious impact of taking this action is that it reduces the use of disposable plastic packaging. Stopping the creation of plastic at its source is perhaps the most important action in tackling plastic waste; reducing your own personal amount of plastic waste is a small, but impactful step towards a transition from the existing stream of plastic production.
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Plastic waste often ends up within our ecosystems: plastic bags in woodlands, plastic bottles on our beaches, and plastic packaging in our waterways. Plastic waste can be extremely damaging for wildlife, nature, and human health: when plastic breaks down it becomes microplastics and these tiny plastic particles have been found in our water, food, and even human bodies. Each time we choose to refill, that is one less plastic bottle, cup or container potentially entering our ecosystems.
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Refilling a reusable water bottle whilst out and about also saves money. Bottled water has one of the highest markups, reaching up to 4000%. This means that when we spend £1.50 on a bottle of water, in reality it costs the manufacturer around £0.04 to produce: this means not only do you save money, but you also prevent that money from reaching the major corporations that are essentially just charging us for plastic waste.
Secondly, you can also save money using a refillable coffee cup or refillable takeout box as many businesses are now offering a discount when you use your own packaging or container.
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It’s been estimated that plastic production and the incineration of plastic waste give rise globally to approximately 400 million tonnes of CO2 a year. So by choosing to reuse instead of single-use, you’re making the right choice for the planet too. [Refill]
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As consumers we also have power. When we choose to move away from single-use plastic and to prioritise businesses that enable the use of refillable containers, this can influence the wider decision-making and production processes of corporations and businesses. Whilst our individual choice may seem inconsequential, lots of individuals exercising their power as consumers has great potential impact, as demonstrated by businesses which have already made changes based on a wider growth of ethical consumption.
Where to Start?
The rise of refillables means that there is a wide choice of refillable coffee cups, water bottles, and lunch boxes available to buy. The most sustainable option is also reusing something you already own: so if you already have a water bottle, coffee cup, or plastic container - then you can already start reusing and refilling!
A great place to start is with water. As explored above, plastic bottles are one of the worst offenders when it comes to plastic waste - and also one of the most avoidable for many of us.
Finding places to refill your reusable bottle is the next step. Many cafes and restaurants are increasingly happy to refill your water bottle if you simply ask. To help find these refill locations, City to Sea launched a Refill campaign enabling individuals to be connected to refill stations. Anyone can download the free Refill app to tap into a global network of over 300,000 Refill stations, offering refills for water, coffee, food containers and plastic-free shopping.
After remembering your refillable water bottle, try thinking about using a reusable coffee cup or lunch box each day!
One of the challenges when trying to avoid single-use plastic is simply remembering to carry your refillable bottle, coffee cup, or food container with you. Try keeping these items with other objects you don’t leave the house without, such as keys, sunglasses, or even in your bag.
What you can do as a Group
Using refillable bottles, coffee cups, and lunch containers is a great way to begin tackling your single-use plastic waste on a day to day basis. The next step could be considering what you can do as part of a collective or group to enable greater access to refill stations and refillable containers where you live and work.
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At your school, place of work, or local community group you can promote the minimisation of plastic production by first questioning if there exists the facilities for people to refill their water bottle. Are there water fountains? If there is a tap, are people aware that it is drinking water (if it is!)? If there is a cafe or caterer, are people comfortable asking to use refillable containers?
If there currently aren’t any drinking fountains, think about who you can speak to about installing one - maybe even start a petition to demonstrate the demand. Similarly, promoting the use of refillable bottles and containers across your organisation’s newsletters or even through posters, can give people the confidence to start using their own reusables!
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As a group you can also think about ensuring access to reusable containers and bottles: donating extra refillable containers to local charity shops or sharing them on local swap groups can make sure more people have access to these reusable containers.
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Are local businesses promoting the use of reusable containers? As a group, reaching out to and collaborating with local businesses can indicate to them that there is support for refill initiatives. As a community, think about how you can encourage support for local businesses and also for reusable containers!
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Organised, collective action is a powerful tool: as a group you could think about joining (or starting) a Refill Scheme. Coordinated by Refill, there are Refill Schemes located across the world advocating for better access to refill stations, promoting the use of refillable packaging, and building community around a shared goal of eliminating single-use plastic packaging.
“A Refill Scheme is an incredible group of organised individuals who are powering the Refill Revolution in their local area. Our Refill schemes range from small, local community groups who want to reduce pollution in the town, city or region where they live, to NGOs, councils, municipalities and national governments who are representing Refill on a National level and have targets and commitments to reduce waste and connect people to free-drinking water.”
Case Study: Refill UAE
With a relatively small population of 9 million residents using a shocking 4 billion plastic water bottles a year, a lot of waste ends up in the country’s oceans and deserts where it poses a significant threat to turtles, camels, and other wildlife.
The Issue
The UAE has one of the highest per capita consumption rates of bottled water in the world. The source of most bottled water brands is desalinated seawater – exactly the same as tap water. Yet, there is a significant social stigma around tap water being unhealthy, unhygienic, and unsafe for human consumption. Challenging this widespread yet unfounded perception is crucial to significantly reduce the single-use plastic waste in the UAE.
Work of Refill UAE
“The partner behind Refill UAE is Goumbook, a social enterprise with over a decade of presence in the UAE. Goumbook has played a significant role in establishing the sustainability-oriented community in this young country and puts changing mindsets at the core of its activities. With bringing the Refill movement to the UAE, we build on the experience with one of our most successful campaigns which led to corporates, institutions, and individuals in the country to rethink their consumption of single-use plastic.
A large part of the population in the UAE’s metropoles is young, tech-savvy, and constantly on the move. Using a mobile app to find access to drinking water is the perfect way for them to avoid having to buy unnecessary plastic bottled to stay hydrated while out and about. Young people are the voice of the future and have proven to be powerful change agents which is why our Refill scheme kicks off with a youth ambassador program called “Refill Champions”.
Given the local circumstances, it is important to have filtration systems installed prior to drinking from the tap, so the first goal of Refill UAE is to get filters installed in homes, businesses, and the many popular cafes and restaurants all over the country. Promoting the use of the Refill app – initially for drinking water – will simultaneously grow awareness and acceptance around other Refill options.” [from Refill]
Further Links
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“The Refill campaign has already prevented over 100 million pieces of plastic at source so we know we have the power to create a wave of change. By connecting people to places they can shop, eat and drink without the pointless packaging, we’re helping prevent plastic pollution and making ‘reduce, reuse, refill and repeat’ the new social norm.”
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The #breakfreefromplastic Movement is a global movement envisioning a future free from plastic pollution. Since its launch in 2016, more than 11,000 organizations and individual supporters from across the world have joined the movement to demand massive reductions in single-use plastics and to push for lasting solutions to the plastic pollution crisis.
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City to Sea is an environmental organisation, campaigning to stop plastic pollution at source. Working with communities, businesses, and everyday activists around the world, they aim to provide practical solutions to the plastic problem. “The problem might be complicated, but we don’t believe the solutions need to be.”
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Their first movie, The Story of Stuff, launched an honest conversation about our consumption-crazed culture. Since then, they've produced dozens more animated shorts and documentaries that chart a path to a more just and sustainable future.
Watch our conversation between Cara Delevingne and Story of Stuff founder Annie Leonard about the plastic crisis and why we need to turn the tap off of plastic production.
Plastic packaging, consumerism, and the links between plastic and the fossil fuel industry are all explored at EcoResolution under our topic Waste & Consumerism. Head there for more articles, videos, and stories on this topic including an exploration of Bioplastics, the truth behind recycling, and dispelling the false plastic narrative of waste in Asia Pacific.
Are you making this action your #EcoResolution? Share your journey with us using the hashtag #MyEcoResolution across Instagram, Twitter, or Facebook. Alternatively, you can send us an email here!