Southwell's thirst for change — 'There is no need to buy bottled water'
Southwell has joined a national campaign to reduce plastic waste by providing water refill stations around the town.
Refill Southwell — run by environmental group Green Southwell — is part of theRefill initiative sending the message ‘there is no need to buy bottled water’.
Businesses, as well as the town council, are doing their bit by providing water stations to any one who is in need of a refill.
From grassroots to global, the Refill campaign aims to stop millions of single-use plastic bottles at source each year, preventing plastic pollution from entering rivers and seas.
Concern surrounding the use of single-use plastics has long been shared by the town council and residents, with the council itself looking to roll-out a number of water fountains in the town.
Lyn Harris, chairman of Southwell Town Council, said it has been discussing ideas on how to promote sustainability and reduce the town’s carbon footprint.
She said: “We need to encourage the refilling of water bottles and, in our climate change working group, we are looking at implementing water fountains around Southwell.”
In the UK, less than 30% of people refill their reusable water bottles and the average person uses 150 plastic water bottles every year.
Liz Laine, co-founder of Green Southwell — who works in the energy efficiency sector and lives in a environmentally-friendly house — said the campaign’s objectives are climate change mitigation and building community resilience.
“The idea is that local businesses and other organisations put stickers in their shop windows to encourage people to refill their water bottles,” she said.
“Local residents keep asking for Green Southwell’s advice on how to reduce their single use plastic waste.”
As a starting point, Refill was rolled-out at the independent business Home Bake in Southwell which proved to be successful, prompting Green Southwell to continue with the Refill campaign.
Liz said: “If you download the Refill app it shows all the places in Southwell offering free water stations, as well as other businesses taking part across the country.”
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