By Sophie McDonald, Fourth Year Biology & Refill Event Coordinator
The Refill Revolution is recruiting this National Refill Day (19 June) in the Wills Memorial Building foyer alongside a free cocktail/mocktail event at the Balloon Bar for those with refillable bottles.
13 billion plastic bottles are used in the UK every single year, and 7.7 billion of them are plastic water bottles. In a country with some of the best quality drinking water in the world, this figure is astounding and desperately needs to change.
Thanks to what has been dubbed the ‘Attenborough Effect’, almost everyone is aware that we are facing a global crisis in terms of plastic polluting every corner of the planet, and especially our oceans; research has shown that 73 per cent of the UK population is concerned about plastic pollution. One of the ways in which every person can make a difference is through behavioural change in our daily lives.
Everyone taking a reusable coffee cup around with them could save up to 2.5 billion disposable cups a year from being thrown away in the UK, and if everyone in the UK had a spare tote bag with them when popping to the shops, it could save up to 9 million plastic bags a year. Owning a reusable bottle and refilling it instead of buying bottled water could save the UK up to 7.7 billion plastic bottles a year: this is the focus of National Refill Day on Wednesday 19 June.
64 per cent of people surveyed said that they would stop buying bottled water if they could access tap water refills, so City to Sea’s Refill Scheme makes it easy to do just that. Just download the Refill app and it will show you everywhere in Bristol where you can go and ask for a water refill, free of charge. There are now over 400 refill points throughout Bristol, so there really is no excuse for single use!
To celebrate National Refill Day, you are invited to help to save the planet by helping yourself to free booze! What’s the catch, I hear you ask? There’s absolutely none at all. All you need is a reusable bottle and a taste for exciting beverages.
Come along to the SU Balloon Bar on 19 June between 2-6pm and bring along a reusable bottle to get it filled up with a delicious cocktail or mocktail. If you don’t already have a reusable bottle, then you’ll be happy to hear that we will be selling them on the day. If you want to get one beforehand, all of the Source cafes around campus have plenty that are sold at cost price, so it won’t send you into your overdraft either.
Together, we have the power to drive a wave of change and prevent plastic pollution at the source. It’s time to join the #RefillRevolution.
Featured image credit: Epigram / Danielle Bueno
Will you be joining the #RefillRevolution this Wednesday?
