Hounslow Council has announced on World Refill Day that it has joined forces with councils across England and Wales to help stamp out the use of single-use plastics across the UK.
Published: Friday, 16th June 2023
Hounslow has pledged to help combat the use of plastic containers along with 14 other London councils.
In support of City to Sea’s national Refill campaign, Hounslow has become a Refill Destination, working to connect residents to places they can eat, drink and shop without the needless packaging.
As a Refill Destination, the Council will promote sustainable alternatives to single-use plastics that will not only protect the environment, but also help residents and businesses to save money during a cost-of-living crisis, by taking advantage of reusable alternatives to disposable plastic items.
The Council is calling on businesses across Hounslow to join the fight against plastic pollution by becoming 'Refill Stations’, visible to residents on the free Refill app.
There are already more than 100 organisations that have signed up to be Refill Stations across Hounslow, with ten of these stations situated in Heston as part of the Council’s first-of-its-kind circular neighbourhood project, Heston in the Loop.
Residents who are passionate about protecting the environment and looking to cut down on weekly bills are encouraged to download the Refill app to view all participating Refill Stations across Hounslow.
Deputy Leader of Hounslow Council and Cabinet Member for Climate, Environment and Transport, Katherine Dunne, said: 'Hounslow Council is proud to announce our commitment to join City to Sea's Refill campaign, taking a stand against plastic pollution not only within our borough but across the UK.
‘By becoming a Refill Destination, we will actively connect our residents with organisations that offer food, drinks, and shopping options without unnecessary plastic packaging.
‘We aim to become more sustainable while also assisting our residents and businesses in navigating the current cost-of-living crisis by embracing reusable alternatives.
‘The Council is calling upon businesses throughout Hounslow to join us in this fight against plastic pollution by becoming Refill Stations, which will be accessible via the Refill app.’
Harriet Bosnell, the CEO of City to Sea, said: ‘It’s great to have Hounslow Council coming on board, supporting World Refill Day, and pledging to become a “Refill Destination”.
‘At the heart of this is an acceptance of the plastic crisis we face and an acknowledgement that we can’t just recycle more to solve this environmental disaster.
‘City to Sea will work with Hounslow over the coming years to measure their impact and to transparently report on the growing refill and reuse in the area, as well as supporting Hounslow Council in engaging businesses and residents alike.’
Hounslow’s Refill campaign first began engaging with businesses in May as part of Heston In The Loop, a circular neighbourhood project that aims to empower the Heston community to waste less, reuse, repair and recycle more.
Hounslow’s Net Zero team and environmental volunteers visited businesses in Heston to raise awareness about the Refill campaign, helping to bring the total number of Refill Stations in Heston to 10.
The UK’s lunch-on-the-go culture generates 11 billion items of packaging waste each year, as well as contributing 2.5 billion coffee cups to residual waste annually.
Plastic waste has a negative impact on our environment and health, with it frequently resulting in pollution of streets, rivers, and subsequently oceans.
In 2019, Hounslow Council declared a climate emergency. The Council committed to taking bold action to reduce its the carbon footprint, and identified measures towards achieving a zero carbon borough by 2030 in its Climate Emergency Action Plan.
City to Sea is a not-for-profit environmental organisation which campaigns to stop plastic pollution at its source.
- Residents wanting to cut down on single-use plastic packaging can download the free Refill app to view a map of nearby ‘Refill Stations’ that offer refills for reusable water bottles, coffee cups, and lunch boxes.
- Businesses already offering refills can advertise this service by registering online and will receive a free refill window sticker and poster to let people know that refills are welcome.
