Refill wants to help the planet and get more to drink tap water

The war on the use of reusable plastic has never been an easy one. 

But since the Covid-19 pandemic hit it’s become even more complex, as the drive towards re-use suffers due to health concerns. For example, major coffee chains such as Starbucks are shunning the use of reusable coffee cups for now, in favour of disposables. 

Disposables, they argue, are more hygienic. How long this continues for remains to be seen, after years of progress which has seen coffee chains offering discounts for bring your own drinking vessel.

It has created a thorn in the side of Refill – a campaign launched by City to Sea, an environmental not for profit business based in Bristol – its founder Natalie Fee and chief executive Rebecca Burgess.

Like many organisations they are struggling to keep going and have had to furlough members of the team.

But even as they rotate themselves and their staff on furlough, they’re trying to fight the perception that disposables reduce the spread of the virus.

Rebecca says: ‘From what I have read, there is simply no evidence to suggest reusables are in any way more dangerous than disposable cups. 

‘I am therefore trying to get the Government to amend their current advice regarding reusable cups as it’s somewhat vague.

‘Starbucks and others have all stated that the lack of government advice on this has meant they’ve chosen to only offer disposables at the current time.’

Rebecca says she’s also reaching out to the Sustainable Restaurant Association to update its advice.

Pre-pandemic efforts

Pre-lockdown, Refill – through the launch of its app, partnerships, and hundreds of volunteers – was making waves.

It was first founded by Natalie, an environmental campaigner, back in 2015 after she was concerned by the volume of pollution she was observing in the River Avon in Bristol.

The campaign generated enough interest that it was able to get seed funding from the likes of Bristol Green Capital which awarded the business £9,000, Geovation which gave it a £11,000 grant and £350,000 per annum through its partnership with Water UK.

Now, around 250,000 people have downloaded the Refill app, which encourages the use of tap water over buying bottled water.

Refill’s initial aim was to raise awareness of the benefits of tap water and the reduction in waste from not buying bottled water, but its camp gain has since evolved to other projects.

Through the app, users were able to find retailers backing the scheme that would be happy for consumers to venture into their stores and ask them for a refill from their taps in whatever sustainable container they have to hand.

Before this, it was almost frowned upon in certain places to ask for free tap water.  

Refill points out that consumers can save hundreds of pounds just by making the switch to tap water. The average cost of tap water in the United Kingdom is 0.1p per litre.

Meanwhile, bottled water costs on average 500 to 1,000 times more than tap water – depending, of course, on where you buy it.

The campaign also highlights the pollution generated from bottled water. Plastic bottles, caps and lids are the most commonly found single-use item on beaches and rivers across Europe.

To ensure that consumers could be confident of getting a refill the campaign ensured that shops and cafes signed up to the scheme with promotional stickers advertising that they welcomed refills at their establishments.

There are now over 30,000 refill stations listed on the app in the UK, and it includes large chains such as Morrisons, Costa Coffee and John Lewis.

If the Refill campaign manages its targets it could save a billion plastic bottles by 2025, but the pandemic is something that has scuppered a lot of its plans and moreover, has set the campaign back.

But their efforts so far have been notable. 

Rebecca points out: ‘As of the end of last year we have prevented 100million water bottles from entering circulation.

‘It’s not just shops and business we are working with – Network Rail was also allowing commuters to refill at water fountains. It’s really having the impact that we hoped it would have back in 2015 when we first started.’

Back to work

With perceptions changing on the use of reusable cups, it’s clear that Refill will have a battle on its hands to win over hearts and minds when the government lockdown has been successful in getting people to follow guidelines.

Their efforts will be even more thwarted due to the reduction in financial support. When it comes to generating funding during Covid-19 and creating awareness for the campaign Rebecca admits that support has dwindled.

But there are vital awareness days on the horizon, such as World Oceans Day (8 June) which will require the Refill team’s efforts.

Due to lack of funding, City to Sea decided to furlough its team to take advantage of the Government support while it’s available. 

Rebecca explains: ‘We want to make sure we’re in the best possible place as an organisation for when lockdown lifts, so we can carry on doing what we do best – preventing plastic pollution at source and inspiring positive change.

‘The decision to furlough was mainly due to new funding being so uncertain in the current times. We are seeing a number of grants being redirected to support communities affected directly by Covid-19 or being postponed until further notice.

‘Many businesses are also unable to speak to us due to competing priorities and/or unable to continue conversations due to the uncertainty they face.’

But the furlough scheme does have other benefits. It’s offering the team a respite and the chance to recharge batteries after years of campaigning. 

This, Rebecca hopes, will give them the opportunity to come back fighting.

Rebecca adds: ‘Whilst normally we would be confident of bringing in a certain amount of new funding each year, it felt increasingly risky to do this for 2020. 

‘By furloughing, we can concentrate on securing new funding for 2021 and beyond.

‘Due to our significant growth over the last two years, as a team we’ll be making the most of our time off to reflect; enjoying family time, getting out into nature and soaking up as much sunshine and knowledge as we can so we come back refreshed, revitalised and ready to better the world we live in.’