Refill Guide for Events: Individuals
Individual Action
Are you concerned with the volume of waste created at events in your local area? If so, you’ve come to the right place!
We need your help to tackle single-use plastic this summer! If you’re attending events and find single-use cups, get involved by calling on them to #CutTheCups! Let event providers and local councils know we’re fed up of seeing single-use cups handed out in such large numbers. We are living through a climate emergency, and it is time to use resources wisely and minimise the use of anything fossil fuel related!
TAKE ACTION NOW
- Share the guide with event providers in your local area and ask them to switch now from single-use to reuse.
- If you attend an event using disposable cups – email them afterwards (or engage them on social media) and say you really want to see them switching to a reusable model and share the guide with them
- Become a “secret shopper” and find the event businesses we need to be engaging to reduce the most about of plastic waste. Take photos – of good and bad practice. Share them with us and on social media using the hashtag #CutTheCups and tagging City to Sea and the event to let them know you want to be able to choose to reuse when attending their event. More on social media below.
- Ask your council to act on single use plastics. You can find your local councillor using this tool – writetothem.com.
Email / Letter for your councillor
Dear [insert councillor’s name],
I volunteer in your council area for one of City to Sea’s Refill Scheme community groups. We would like [COUNCIL NAME] to do more.
Many councils in the UK are already acting and we believe there are lessons to be learnt. For example:
- Cambridge Council has banned the use of single-use plastics on council land
- Manchester City Council provides reusable cups for their Christmas Market traders and are trialling cups for summer events also.
- Brighton and Hove Council provide guidance to their event organisers to reduce the environmental impacts of their events.
We want our council to take these actions and more. To this end, I am sharing this new guide and resource from City to Sea which shows you exactly how you make a difference.
I hope you agree these resources are useful and that you are willing to take them forward to
make sure our council is doing all it can.
In summary though, the three main actions I would like our council to take:
- Share the guide – make sure event organisers, partner organisations and community groups in your local area can access this free support.
- Tackle single-use at the council’s own events – make sure that single-use cups are a thing of the past at your own events, buildings and facilities.
- Tackle single-use events at other organisations events – drive through change by encouraging all event producers in the area to switch to reusable models.
Please do let me know how you will take this forward.
Many thanks,
[Insert your name]
Spread the word on Social media
Whatever actions you take, please keep us in the loop. This helps us to bring the Refill Revolution to life and helps us to share best practice. Have you found an event using reusable cups? Show them some love! Or, if you’ve visited an event that’s drowning in single-use plastic – call them out and let them know you want to see change! Share the guide with them and tag us on social media using #CutTheCups
Our social channels are –
Twitter – @Refill
Instagram – @refillhq
Facebook – @RefillHQ
Other ways to get involved
- Join your local Refill Scheme
- If there isn’t a local Refill Scheme near you, you can start one!
- Download the Refill App to find places to eat, drink and shop with less waste