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Reigate & Banstead on a mission to help people live with less plastic

Reigate & Banstead has become a ‘Refill Destination’ and is pledging to help turn the tide on plastic pollution.

The new accreditation comes from the not-for-profit, City to Sea and means Reigate & Banstead Borough Council will be working with local businesses including cafes, restaurants, pubs, shops and zero waste stores offering food, drink and shopping opportunities which reduce the use of plastic.

Cllr Nadean Moses, Executive Member for Sustainability and Leisure said: “We’re excited to become one of the growing number of Refill Destinations committed to tackling plastic pollution at source. We will be focusing our efforts on signing up local businesses, as well as our own venues, to the refill network to make it easier for people to refill their reusable bottles and coffee cups locally.

"This Plastic Free July I urge everyone to download the Refill app, look out for the Refill logo at participating locations and help to spread the word so that more and more of us opt to reduce single-use plastics.

“Improving the refill network across Reigate & Banstead is just one of the actions coming out of our Environmental Sustainability Strategy, which commits us to making our own operations, and the borough, a more sustainable place to live.”

By downloading the free Refill app, local residents and visitors can easily tap into a network of places where they can refill. From topping up a water bottle, getting a coffee in a re-useable cup, or even shopping with less packaging, Refill makes going plastic free easier.

Alex Lockwood from the SME Energy Centre in Banstead, which is one of the latest local businesses to sign up, said: “We are thrilled to be a part of the refill scheme. The vast majority of plastic bottles end up in landfill, where it can take hundreds of years for them to break down. However, by being a part of the refill scheme, our local community can now refill their re-useable water bottles - not only saving money and staying hydrated, but also importantly protecting the environment.”

Natalie Fée, founder of City to Sea added,

“It’s fantastic to have Reigate & Banstead Borough Council coming on board as a “Refill Destination”. To tackle the plastic crisis, we need local government to be local leaders in driving the transition from single-use towards reuse – and Refill is a great community tool to support this. It’s heartening that councils understand the urgent need to stem the tide of plastic pollution plaguing towns and cities around the UK, and massively scale up reuse and refill.”

If local businesses are interested in taking part in this project they should contact the Council at sustainability@reigate-banstead.gov.uk.

City to Sea will work with Reigate & Banstead Borough Council until March 2025 to measure their impact and to transparently report on the growing refill and reuse in the area supporting the Council in engaging businesses and resident alike. This project has received £5,000 from the UK Government through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund.