Introducing… Refill Chester
Refill Chester is run by Sustainable Chester and managed on a voluntary basis by people who are passionate about protecting the environment at a local level. They’ve been pioneering the Refill Revolution supported by Chilly’s for over 5 years, starting off with making a splash in Chester City Centre and making drinking water more accessible to residents and visitors alike, and have now expanded beyond Chester to other regions in Cheshire.
Breaking down barriers
Working with local cafes and businesses, Refill Chester signs up new Refill Stations and engages the local community to try to overcome some of the barriers to refilling they face – such as feeling embarrassed, nervous or uncomfortable when asking for free water refills. They organise events and encourage residents to carry a water bottle with them and use the many Refill Stations in the region rather than buying bottled water.
And this has made a significant difference to the local environment, with Refill Chester seeing noticeably less plastic water bottles littering the streets than when they started running the campaign and doing litter picks back in 2018.
Refill Chester’s Top Takeaway:
Download the Refill app, engage with your family and friends to make sure they carry a refillable bottle with them when they are out and about… Check out the extended Refill options on the app which is no longer just about water but shows you where you can get coffee and food refills as well as zero waste and packaging-free shopping options.
Chilly’s & Refill are working together to spread the Refill Revolution across the UK, providing communities with the tools they need to create lasting change in their community, including individuals, community groups, local authorities and governments.
Chilly’s has been working with Refill since 2018, and by 2022, had donated nearly £700,000 to support Refill in achieving its work, and some of this funding has been used to support some of the 400-strong network of local community and council-led Refill Schemes. The Refill campaign helps hundreds of thousands of people to take action where they live.
This series celebrates some of the incredible Refill community programs out there on the ground helping us to turn the tide on plastic pollution – these are our Refill Heroes.
Get Involved
If you’re local to Chester, you can find out more and get involved with Sustainable Chester’s projects here .
Find a Refill Scheme near you –
Refill Schemes | Refill | find a scheme and Join the Refill Revolution .