Hackney,
10
September
2018
|
14:37
Europe/London

Volunteers and businesses needed to help Hackney ditch plastic water bottles

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Volunteers are needed to help Hackney ditch the plastic and encourage local businesses to offer free water bottle refills.

In the UK alone, it is estimated that 800 plastic bottles per minute end up in landfill or as litter. If we continue to produce and throw away plastic at our current rate, by 2050 there will be more plastic in the ocean, by weight, than fish.

To help put a stop to this, Hackney will be marking National Refill Day on Thursday 27 September. As part of the action day, volunteers are being recruited, to approach local businesses to ask them to agree to fill reusable water bottles. Volunteers will take part in a short, informal training session before heading out in pairs to explain the benefits.

Businesses who commit to refill will be added to the Refill app - https://www.refill.org.uk/get-the-refill-app/ - and given a sticker to display in their window if they wish. The Council is working with Refill London, a City to Sea and Thames Water collaboration, to promote the scheme in the borough.

National Refill Day is a great opportunity to encourage people to ditch the plastic and start carrying a reusable water bottle. The benefits for all of us are obvious, in terms of the environment and saving money, but there are good reasons for businesses to offer to refill too, such as increased footfall and tempting in customers who may never have gone into their premises before.

Over the next four years, Hackney Council will significantly expand the number of free water fountains in the borough. With the contribution of local businesses, we can extend the free water network even further, and make a real difference in the fight against throwaway plastics. 

I'd encourage anyone who can spare the time to join us on this great community initiative which has the potential to make a real difference.
Cllr Jon Burke, Cabinet Member for Energy, Sustainability and Community Services

Volunteer to take part at http://bit.ly/Refill-Hackney

Businesses can sign up to the scheme here: https://projectdirt.typeform.com/to/vNb5CS