News / World Refill Day
Campaigners unite to demand end to plastic pollution
Leading anti-plastic activists have sent an open letter calling for political parties to take definitive action on plastic waste.
The letter, sent to mark World Refill Day on Sunday, pushes for politicians to commit to legally binding targets on plastic reduction in the run up to the general election.
It’s the latest in a long line of actions on plastic pollution taken by City to Sea.
is needed now More than ever
The Bristol environmental charity has been supported by more than 30 signatories including global NGOs such as Greenpeace, and local personalities and institutions including UWE, Ecotricity and Deborah Meaden.
The campaigners are calling for a national transition to reuse and refill systems which eliminate the need for unnecessary single-use plastic packaging.
“Plastic bottles are bad news…for people and planet, which is why it is so fantastic to see so many voices from across the world coming together to share the refill and reuse message,” said Meaden.
“With small changes in how we consume we can make single-use plastic a thing of the past – so a day dedicated to looking forward to a cleaner, safer future could not be more appropriate.”
The UK’s largest plastic waste survey revealed homes throw away almost two billion pieces of plastic packaging each week, but the government so far has stalled its action to tackle the issue.
A deposit return scheme – where consumers pay a small deposit for single-use items which is returned when they bring the empty container back, as seen in various European countries and globally – has been delayed in parliament three times.
Deborah Meaden has publicly shown her support for World Refill Day – photo: City to Sea
City to Sea was founded by former Bristol24/7 Woman of the Year Natalie Fee, whose Switch the Stick campaign eliminated thousand of tonnes of plastic cotton buds from rivers and beaches.
The charity campaigns to tackle the plastic pollution issue at source, founding the World Refill Day campaign in 2021 and working with governments, businesses and people globally to implement refill and reuse initiatives.
They say the pace of change in the UK is “far too slow” and are demanding a legally binding target of 30 per cent reusable packaging by 2030.
The charity’s own award-winning Refill scheme, pioneered in Bristol and Bath, has already saved an estimated 60m plastic bottles.
Their research shows that 70 per cent of people across the country use a reusable water bottle most or all the time when travelling, suggesting there is public appetite for wider change.
But City to Sea chief exec Jane Martin said more was needed from political leaders.
“For real change to take place, a level playing field, facilitated by government intervention, is crucial and businesses must be operating within a harmonized regulatory framework,” she said.
“Through our reuse manifesto we are calling for government commitment to tangible measures such as supporting a legally binding Global Plastics Treaty, rolling out Extended Producer Responsibility for packaging and a complete ban on single-use packaging. The time to act is now.”
Main photo: City to Sea
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