‘THE REFILL revolution has come to Otley’.

That is the message from the Town Council following the launch of a scheme designed to cut plastic bottle waste.

Refill Otley aims to make refilling water bottles easy, convenient and cost-free by introducing refill stations across the town.

The scheme was launched on Wednesday, February 20 and involves participating businesses putting stickers up in their windows to let people know that they are welcome to fill their water bottles for free.

Town council Chair Councillor Ray Georgeson (Lib Dem, Danefield) said: “This is a simple and effective way of encouraging people to reduce their consumption of single-use plastic bottles of water, and their use of plastic, by easily refilling a bottle.

“We thank the businesses who have joined the Refill Otley scheme and hope that more will sign up and that we will all do our bit to further reduce the impact of plastic pollution in our seas, rivers and countryside.”

Not-for-profit organisation City to Sea launched the award-winning Refill Campaign in 2015 and it is estimated that the initiative will cut plastic bottle use by tens of millions each year.

Refill Otley is intended to build on the success of the national Refill scheme, which now boasts a network of over 15,000 Refill Stations across the UK.

Refill Regional Coordinator Charlotte Hawkins said: “We’re so excited that Otley is joining the Refill movement and making a real difference by reducing reliance on single-use plastics.

“Every time we refill a re-usable bottle we save our own money and the planet’s resources, and all those individual refills add up to a huge impact.

“It’s great to see so many local businesses supporting Refill Otley by signing up to provide free refills.”

There are currently 21 Refill Otley stations and the council is confident that number will grow.

The participating businesses are: Patisserie Viennoise, Otley Town Council, Colin Pitt Garage, Bloomfield Square Café, Chevin Cycles Limited, Cranberry, Milk Bar, Sift Café & Bakery, Bondgate Bakery, Costa Coffee, Acasa Di Alessia, Salami & Co, Il Vicoletto, The Rumblin Tum Café, The Pink Teapot, Little Corner of the World, Casa Vitae, The Real Food Shop, O’deli, The Bowling Green, and Grade 1 Barbers.

City to Sea founder Natalie Fee added: “Refill puts the power to stop plastic pollution in people’s hands - it’s a fantastically easy way to reduce your plastic consumption and save money at the same time. Businesses can add themselves to the app too and help create the wave of change needed to keep plastic bottles out of our oceans!”

For more details visit www.refill.org.uk .

*A report by the House of Commons Environmental Audit Committee noted that 7.7 billion disposable plastic water bottles are currently bought in the UK each year.