We have been selling reusable bottles for a while now, well over 400 in 4 years, as part of the national project ‘ReFill’. Our 'Water Bottle Refill Station' works in conjunction with the ReFill project, providing free, clean drinking water for the whole community, visitors and locals alike. The group has looked into different ways of over coming the single-use plastic problem, and we believe this is an innovative project, a first in Cornwall. One is sited on the grass area by the main beach car park, with a second one in Rock, on the slipway by the Padstow ferry crossing.

 

Thank you to the following organisations for their support 

Carol Mould - local councillor 

Lowlands Parish Council

Highlands Parish Council

Polzeath Area Residents Association

Sea-Changers

South West Water who sited the first water station free of charge

Padstow Harbour Board

Quinnian Trust

Nathan Outlaw

The Postcode Local Trust

Cornwall Council Community Chest

 

Check out our Frequently asked Questions.pdf for more information.

AND, our video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lzRgOhcK-XU&t=1s

 

(Correct as of 04/01/2018)

 

What is ReFill?

 

ReFill is a national community led project aiming to reduce the use of single use plastic bottles by encouraging people to purchase a reusable bottle, and accessing free tap water from participating venues such as cafes, or where available - water fountains. Participating venues proudly display the ReFill sticker/poster in their windows to welcome people in to full up for free.

 

http://www.refill.org.uk/

 

ReFill began in Bude, Cornwall launched by Deb Rosser and BeachCare in 2014. Other organisations to join the project include Your Shore Beach Rangers, Clean Cornwall, South West Water and Cornwall Wildlife Trust.

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The ReFill Cornwall Facebook page is the place to keep up-to-date, and it includes a fantastic video highlighting the importance of this project.

 

 

 

 

 

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Check out the video: https://www.facebook.com/refillcornwall/videos/119350122067570/

Why ReFill?

 

Now more than ever, the UK population needs to take responsibility for our plastic consumption as China imposed a ban on imports starting January 1st 2018. The Uk ships approximately 500,000 tons of plastic to China for recycling each year. The ban means that local councils face deciding whether to incinerate or landfill the backlog of plastic collecting at recycling centres.

 

An article by the Telegraph, 02/01/2018 link to article, highlights the issues we all now face. Notable quotes from Mr Ellin (chief executive of UK Recycling Association) include:

 

“We have relied on exporting plastic recycling to China for 20 years and now people do not know what is going to happen,” he told the Guardian.

“If it no longer pays for our members to take this waste and sort it once it has been collected by councils then that might stop,” he added.

 

Telegraph, 02/01/2018 link to article

 

Why carry a bottle with you?

Single-use plastic is an ongoing concern - it uses natural resources to create/transport it, is expensive to manufacture, and takes hundreds of years, if not longer to brake down into smaller pieces, but it never disappears...... Every bit of plastic you have ever used, still exists - somewhere... Rame Peninsula BeachCare have a fantastic article highlighting the issues: http://www.ramepbc.org/the-plastic-problem

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