Council calls on Sutton businesses to join the Refill Revolution

Refill Sutton will help to reduce single-use plastics across the borough, and is being introduced as part of the Council’s ambitious plans to ensure Sutton’s environment is maintained and improved for all residents. 

The number of Sutton businesses signed up to the scheme has doubled over the last three months. Businesses include cafes, restaurants, bars and offices. The free Refill app and Refill symbol in windows show the locations of participating businesses. Any business in the borough can join the scheme at no cost and play their part in helping the environment. 

Sutton Council’s Environment Strategy outlines the actions being taken to make Sutton London’s most sustainable borough by 2025. The Council has been removing single-use plastics from its activities and has introduced the Refill scheme to help everyone living, working and studying in Sutton act in a more sustainable way. 

Schemes such as Refill are also helping Sutton respond to the climate emergency. Public engagement events are being held in February and March to discuss the actions we can all take locally to reduce carbon emissions to net-zero. Come to an event local to you - more information can be found at www.sutton.gov.uk/climateemergency.  

Every day, 1.3 billion plastic bottles are sold around the world - equivalent to a pile over half the size of The Shard. Not all plastic is recyclable and it takes several hundred years to break down: 79% of the plastic waste ever created is still in the environment.* If just 1 in 10 people in the UK refilled their bottle once a week, the number of plastic bottles would reduce by 340 million a year. 

Producing less plastic waste in Sutton directly benefits residents: fewer plastic bottles thrown away means fewer lorry movements needed to collect waste, which improves air quality. Residents who refill their bottles rather than buying a new one will also save money. 

Cllr Manuel Abellan, Chair of the Council’s Environment and Neighbourhood Committee, said:

“We all have a part to play in protecting and improving the environment in our borough. Thank you to the more than 40 businesses which have signed up for far. To those who aren’t yet taking part, I encourage you to join the Refill Revolution and help to make Sutton the most sustainable borough in London.”

Local businesses can join the scheme via the Refill app or by contacting sustainability@sutton.gov.uk.

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For more information, email pressoffice@sutton.gov.uk

Notes to editors

-The Successful Sutton Business Improvement District began a refill initiative on Sutton High Street, which has now been extended across the borough by Sutton Council

-For more information on Sutton Council’s Environment Strategy, click here. 

-To find out more about the Refill scheme, visit www.refill.org.uk.

-To take part in the climate emergency events, visit www.sutton.gov.uk/climate. 

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