Meet our Refill Destinations
What OUR REFILL DESTINATIONS ACHIEVED IN 2023
In 2023, we launched our Refill Destination programme, partnering with councils and BIDs to deliver the Refill campaign on the ground in their local community.
Meet our brilliant Refill Destinations who are committed to championing refill and reuse and to reducing single-use plastic where they live and read about some of their achievements over the past year.
REFILL SUNDERLAND
Run by: Sunderland Council – hosted a vibrant Eco Fest and engaged the community with Refill stands, setting a high standard for community involvement.
REFILL SOUTHEND-ON-SEA
Run by: Southend Council – celebrated World Refill Day with a Pier extravaganza and continued rallying businesses, fostering inclusive refill initiatives.
REFILL NORFOLK CITY COUNCIL
Run by: Norfolk Council – witnessed a 14% increase in Refill Stations, thanks to an impactful marketing campaign and community events.
REFILL CARDIFF
Run by: Cardiff Council – delivered the installation of 3 new public water fountains and outreach events resulted in 57 businesses joining the Refill movement.
REFILL WALTHAM FOREST
Run by: Waltham Forest Council – actively worked on transforming behaviour around single-use plastics, gearing up for an epic Refill takeover.
REFILL GREATER MANCHESTER COMBINED AUTHORITY
Run by: Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA) – collaborated with Refill Manchester, with local champions driving efforts to eliminate single-use plastics.
REFILL HOUNSLOW
Run by: Hounslow – partnered with ReLondon to boost the circular economy in Heston and have been busy signing up businesses as Refill stations with over 130 Refill stations now on the app across the Hounslow borough.
Meet the team behind Refil Hounslow and hear about their work as part of our Refill Community Stories series
REFILL MANCHESTER
Run by: Manchester City Council – became a dynamic force, aligning with climate action plans and engaging communities through free water bottle distributions.
REFILL GREATER LONDON AUTHORITY
Run by: Greater London Authority (GLA) – extended the Refill movement to include food, coffee, and zero waste shopping, with a successful autumn campaign.
HOW WE SUPPORT OUR DESTINATIONS
1. Refill marketing and digital assets
- Our Destinations have utilised these resources to amplify the Refill message and encourage residents and visitors to join the movement.
2. 2023 guidance and support
- Dedicated support from our Refill team across infrastructure, Refill KPI setting and quarterly progress meetings.
3. Refill data and reporting
- We have supported our Refill Destinations with quarterly data that reports on Refill app engagement, Refill stations (type specific) and community engagement.
4. Training sessions
- A heartfelt thanks to everyone who joined our insightful monthly training sessions in 2023 including;
- How to launch a returnable cup scheme
- Our Blueprint for returnable cup scheme guide, lessons learnt from the Bristol pilot with a guest speaker from Circular & Co, our returnable cup provider
- Yearly wrap up and what’s ahead – strategy chance for feedback
LOOKING AHEAD TO 2024
This past year has been a testament to the commitment and passion of our Refill Destinations. As we look forward to 2024, the journey continues with a focus on business innovation, changing consumer behaviours, and political advocacy to make Refill the norm.
We look ahead to the future with real optimism! Here’s extra ways we will be supporting our Destinations over the next year:
- Business innovation and changing consumer behaviours is accelerating the transition from single use towards reuse systems. In line with our strategic framework, we’ll continue to work to make practical solutions to single-use plastic more accessible and affordable and work with our partners in the UK and around the world to change the narrative, making refill the norm.
- Over the next few 18 months, our focus will be on supporting localised reuse systems and working with our ambitious Refill Destinations to create change regionally increasing access to free drinking water refills and scaling returnable cup schemes.
- We’ll be ramping up our political advocacy and lobbying work, calling on the government to act and championing our ‘Reuse Manifesto’ to outline clear recommendations for action here in the UK. We hope you will add your voices to our call for policies that help to change the system for good.
- NEW Resources: Elevate your Refill efforts with our enhanced ‘Road to Refill’ strategy and guide. If you are one of our Refill Destinaitons, explore our NEW Destinations Marketing Toolkit available to download on the hub.
COUNCIL Testimonials:
But don’t just take our word for it. Here’s what some of our Refill Destination champions have to say:
We feel we were well supported by Refill throughout our year as a destination and we accessed and used the resources available to us to their full extent, with a county wide, multi-facetted Refill Revolution campaign in Norfolk. We were also pleased with the campaign outcomes, increasing the number of Refill stations in the county by 15% and providing a high number of opportunities for people to see Refill messages in Norfolk.
Sunderland wants to play its part in tackling the global issue of plastic pollution. We have a city-wide Low Carbon Framework jointly drafted by partners from across the city, outlining how we will work towards our 2040 target of Carbon neutrality. Refill Sunderland is contributing towards minimising plastic waste and the Council is proud to be supporting the campaign.
Ready to set new goals and reach even greater heights in 2024?
To find out more visit our Refill Destinations page or email [email protected] to find out how to join our #RefillRevolution!
Share your stories, spread the word, and let’s keep the #RefillRevolution rolling. Together, we’ll make 2024 even more remarkable!