REFILL MERTON
Life with less plastic, made easy.
Brought to you by Sustainable Merton as part of the national award-winning Refill scheme by City to Sea, Refill Merton connects you to places to eat and drink and shop with less waste.
Anyone can download the free Refill app to tap into a global network of places to reduce, reuse and refill. From a coffee on your commute to drinking water on the go, or even shopping with less plastic. Refill puts the power to go packaging free at your fingertips.
Refill started life as a campaign to connect people to free drinking water, as a way of tackling the problem of single-use plastic bottles, but the problem is much, much bigger. So, in October 2020, the campaign expanded beyond drinking water and Refill is now the world’s first app to help people find locations to reuse and refill.
What's the issue?
Every year around the world we create more than 300 million tonnes of plastic – half of this is single-use.
In the UK alone, our 'lunch on the go' habit generates 11 billion items of packaging waste a year and 2.5 billion coffee cups are used and thrown away – enough to stretch around the world roughly five and a half times!
When it comes to water, research shows that despite more people than ever carrying reusable water bottles, over 71% of us feel uncomfortable asking for a refill if we’re not buying something at the same time.
Join the #RefillRevolution!
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With more than 100 million pieces of plastic avoided to date, it's been proven that Refill has the power to create a wave of change and stop plastic pollution at source.
Through the Refill App, Refill empowers people to choose to reuse by connecting them with businesses where refilling is welcomed. By displaying a window sticker, Merton residents can easily identify friendly local Refill Stations - there are already almost 80 of them!
Every time someone refills a bottle rather than throwing a plastic one away, we are reducing the amount of plastic that reaches the ocean. If just 1 in 10 Brits Refilled their reusable water bottle just once a week, we’d save around 340 million plastic bottles a year!
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Download the app – it’s free to use
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Tap the app to find your nearest Refill Station
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Eat, drink, shop without the pointless packaging
By using the Refill App and saying no to single-use plastic, you are helping to protect our oceans, combating climate change, and saving money all at the same time.
Thanks to our amazing Refill Stations and people like you - everyone, everywhere can live with less plastic 💙
More ways to help fight plastic pollution
VOLUNTEER AS A REFILL CHAMPION
Residents are encouraged to register with Sustainable Merton as a Refill Champion.
As a Refill Champion, you can get involved by taking part in Refill action days, awareness-raising at events, sharing your plastic-free journey and Refill experience through blog writing and, as the Refill initiative grows, supporting our team by taking on a coordination role.
To find out more about Refill Merton or to get involved, please send an email to refillmerton@sustainablemerton.org.
BECOME A REFILL STATION
Does your business offer refills of water, coffee, groceries or lunch? Get listed on the Refill app to increase footfall, and help your customers reduce pointless packaging.
Once your Refill Station is live, you’ll be ready to welcome refillers and benefit from increased exposure and footfall as a result.
Get in touch with us at refillmerton@sustainablemerton.org to find out more
REDUCE.
Coffee Cups
2.5 billion coffee cups are used and thrown away each year in the UK- but as they are lined with plastic, less than 1 in 400 are recycled.
Replace yours with a reusable cup - they come in all shapes and sizes to suit your espresso or skinny latte!
Plastic Bottles
In the UK, we use a staggering 38.5 million single-use plastic bottles and a further 58 million cans every day!
Remember to pack your refillable bottle and top up on the go.
Download the Refill app to locate refill stations nearby.
REUSE.
Shopping Bags
More than one million plastic bags are used every minute – and will have an average ‘working life’ of just 15 minutes.
Buy a reusable bag (there are some stylish ones out there) and save yourself 5p at the supermarket,
Condiment Containers
Refuse single-use sachets and ask your favourite local restaurant or
takeaway to replace them with refillable and reusable containers.
"Tip: I've found you have to say quite quickly that you don't want any cutlery or condiments, otherwise they automatically put them into your bag!"
Sophie, Community Champion
REFUSE.
Straws
Millions of straws are used around the world everyday! Sadly, many of these end up in the stomachs of our ocean life.
Say no to the straw! Or choose alternatives such as paper straws.
Cutlery
Avoid plastic cutlery by carrying your own set, or spork, with you, A simple way to reduce single-use plastic when eating on-the-go.
Plastic Packaging
Pass on plastic produce bags and buy loose. Or even better - grow your own at home!
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MORDEN library of things
Sustainable Merton has partnered with social enterprise Library of Things and Merton Council to bring you Morden Library of Things - the first of its kind in Merton! You can now pop into Morden Library to borrow useful household items like drills, carpet cleaners and gazebos from just £1 per day.
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