Businesses and residents in Sunderland are being encouraged to become less reliant on plastic packaging as part of a new scheme by Sunderland City Council.

‘Refill’ - launched on World Refill Day (16 June) 2022 - helps people live with less waste by connecting them to places they can eat, drink and shop without single-use plastic packaging.

Sunderland City Council is one of more than 80 local authorities involved in the scheme, which aims to cut down on plastic waste and tackle the global issue of plastic pollution.

Refill Stations are listed on the official, free, Refill app. They include everything from independent cafes offering a discount for bringing a reusable cup, to greengrocers, restaurants, bakers and free drinking water fountains.

There are already more than 100 Refill stations registered within Sunderland, including high street chains and retailers such as Greggs, Costa, Starbucks, Asda and Morrisons as well as several of the city's independent businesses. 

Cllr Graeme Miller, leader of Sunderland City Council, said: "Hundreds of thousands of people across the globe have already reduced their carbon footprint and are playing their part in helping save the planet by signing up to the Refill campaign and we're delighted that partners in Sunderland can now work together to provide more opportunities for people across the city to make a contribution to driving that change.

"We all have a role to play in tackling the climate crisis and only by actively working together can we ensure we're doing all that we can - as consumers and businesses - to cut down on single-use plastics and prevent further climate change.”

Growing awareness about the environmental impacts of plastics has fuelled the rising popularity of reusable and refillable drinks containers, like coffee cups and water bottles. New research by City to Sea - the not-for-profit organisation that developed the Refill campaign - has shown 93% of people surveyed said they would like to see more refill and reuse options available.

Sunderland's decision to join the Refill movement ties in with its commitment for the city to become carbon neutral by 2040. Sunderland's Low Carbon Framework was published in 2020 and outlines the areas where action is planned in order to help the city reach this ambitious target.

At the launch, Cllr Miller added: "We're absolutely committed to doing our bit in Sunderland to take action on climate change, and to working with businesses and partner organisations as well as our residents to support them to be more sustainable too. We're delighted to be launching Refill-Sunderland.

"Through our Low Carbon Framework, we have outlined the key areas where we need to make progress as a city and to become carbon neutral by 2040. Reducing consumption and waste is one of our priority areas and embracing initiatives such as Refill will be key to helping us achieve our goals."

Learn more about the Refill Sunderland scheme here.

Sunderland City Council is one of hundreds of North East organisations helping the North East reach its net zero targets and make a difference on a global scale.

If you’ve a story to share or would like to find out more how you can start your decarbonisation journey, please email [email protected].