MORE than 45 businesses across the Malvern Hills district have signed up to the Refill scheme in a bid to reduce the use of plastic bottles.

The national campaign encourages refilling reusable water bottles from taps in local cafes, restaurants, pubs and more, rather than buying single-use plastics.

Businesses who sign up will get a sticker to put in the window and users will be able to locate them on the Refill app.

The aim is to help prevent plastic pollution, as well as help people stay hydrated and save money.

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Councillor John Raine, portfolio holder for environmental services at Malvern Hills District Council, said: “The Refill scheme is a small but wholly positive step forward in the urgent global battle against plastic pollution. Our ‘Three Days of Action’ event proved to be a good opportunity to interact with some of our local businesses across the district and to raise awareness of the scheme. The response was very positive with most of those approached either agreeing to sign up, or indicating that they already willingly refilled people’s water bottles when asked.”

According to Refill, if just one in ten Brits refilled once a week, around 340 million plastic bottles would be prevented at source every year.

The businesses signed up to the scheme span across Great Malvern, Tenbury Wells and Upton-upon-Severn and include Malvern Splash, Green Link, Malvern Theatres, Pump Rooms and more.

As part of Malvern Hills District Council’s EnviroWeek last year, the community services team, alongside leader Cllr Sarah Rouse and Cllr John Raine, signed up 22 new businesses during a ‘Three Days of Action’ event.

Visit www.refill.org.uk for more information on the scheme and to download the app.