Refill

Eden’s new Refill scheme is up and running!

Eden is the latest UK area to start a Refill scheme. It’s where shops, cafes and other places agree to give you a free refill of tap water if you come in with a water bottle.

Refill Eden was started in Penrith by PACT in late 2017 and it's spreading out across the district, from Appleby to Alston. It's supported by Cumbria County Council, with a helping hand from our local Surfers Against Sewage team.

Keep an eye out for the blue Refill window stickers in the windows of shops and other premises around Eden. We're part of the national Refill scheme and you can find Refill points in Eden and across the UK on the Refill app. (Download it for free from your usual app store.)

Here are the places that have signed up so far:

Penrith and nearby:

• Abbott Lodge Jersey Ice Cream, Clifton
• Beckside Books, St Andrew's Churchyard
• British Heart Foundation, Market Square
• Carlisle Eden Mind charity shop, Angel Lane
• Clarke's Fusions, Little Dockray
• Cosy Cup, Devonshire Arcade
• Crafty Baker, Devonshire Arcade
• Cumberland & Westmorland Herald, King Street
• Dockray Hall, Great Dockray
• Dog Beck (Wetherspoons), Southend Road
• Eclectic, Angel Lane
• Eden Gallery Tea Rooms, St Andrew's Churchyard
• Fell Bar, King Street
• Hudson Electrical, Great Dockray
• Janey Macs Cafe at Eden Rural Foyer, Old London Road
• Jill's Beauty Salon, Little Dockray
• Llama Karma Kafe, Brougham (A66)
• Maggie's Bakery, Sandgate
• Nail Bar & Beauty Lounge, Little Dockray
• Newcastle Building Society, Market Square
• Penrith Library
• Penrith Town Council offices, Friargate
• Penrith Posters, Market Square
• Pizza Piatto, King Street
• Sam Scotts, Little Dockray
• Tinkerpok, Sandgate
• Tourist Information Centre, Middlegate
• Costa and Premier Inn nationally have also said they'll give free refills.

Appleby:

• Appleby Travel, Boroughgate
• Carlisle Eden Mind charity shop, Boroughgate
• Tourist Information Centre, Moot Hall, Boroughgate

Alston:

Quite a few outlets around the town, but we don't have an exact list. Look out for the blue window stickers!

Shap:

• Abbey Coffee Shop
• Old Courthouse

Kirkby Stephen & nearby:

Low Greenside Farm Campsite

Other places around Eden:

• Kirkoswald Community Shop
• Maulds Meaburn Village Institute

Our volunteer Jaki Bell was featured on CFM Radio while out signing up local cafes... watch the video CFM very kindly produced!

What is the refill scheme?

Refill is a national scheme, started by City to Sea in Bristol.

The aim is to reduce demand for single-use plastic bottles in our area, which will hopefully cut down on litter, and stop discarded plastic getting into our rivers, lakes and oceans. It also encourages people to think about other plastic packaging they use, and how they can reduce that, too.

How do I get a free refill?

Just go into any premises that has the Refill point sign, and ask!

What’s the problem with plastic bottles?

We use 13 billion plastic bottles every year in the UK. That's causing a few problems:

1. A lot of plastic bottles end up as litter, and many make their way into the oceans. They break up into smaller and smaller fragments and marine creatures eat them. Now, one in every four fish has plastic in its flesh, so we’re eating plastic, too. About a third of all the plastic in the ocean is plastic bottles.
2. Nearly half of the plastic bottles we use don’t get recycled. Five and a half billion of them end up in landfill, as litter, or incinerated. Some plastic bottles, especially coloured ones, aren’t easy to recycle. We don’t have the ability or capacity in the UK to recycle all the plastic we use.
3. Making all these plastic bottles uses a lot of energy, contributing to climate change. It takes 162g of oil and seven litres of water to make a one-litre disposable PET bottle, which amounts to the release of 100g of carbon dioxide (CO2), a major greenhouse gas*.

(* See www.refill.org.uk/the-problem-with-plastic)

Who’s running the refill scheme in penrith?

That's us, PACT!

We've been able to do it thanks to some funding from Cumbria County Council.

Could your premises be a Refill point?

The Refill factsheet below should give you all the information you need.

If you'd like to join or find out more, email info@penrithact.org.uk or phone 01768 88266. We’ll take down a few contact details and then a PACT volunteer will drop in and give you a sign for your window. Just for now it will be a temporary one, and we’ll shortly return with the official stickers from the national Refill scheme.