19/06/2019

One simple action to help save the planet #NationalRefillDay

We are all aware of how important hydration is for our bodies and wellbeing, but as understanding of this grows, so does single-use plastic water bottle waste.

The drinking water quality in the UK may be rated as one of the best in the world, but our on-the-go lifestyle and desire for purer tasting water results in the purchase of 38.5 million single-use plastic bottles every day. Ultimately, are we really aware of the damage our quick fix unsustainable plastic habit is creating?

While single-use plastic water bottles are typically in use for seconds, they remain on the planet for a minimum of 450 years^[1]. Our heavy reliance sees the release of a frightening 2.5 million tonnes of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere annually from the manufacturing process alone^[2], contributing towards global warming.

Around 15 million of the 38.5 million plastic bottles we use every day end up in landfill, littered or incinerated^[3]. Once littered, plastic bottles are likely to blow into waterways that lead to the ocean, where they will eventually break down into microplastics and contaminate our food sources.

A recent study shows that the average person consumes at least 50,000 microplastics a year, even more so if you drink bottled water, which contains an average of 22 times more microplastics than tap water^[4].

And the worst thing is, it’s completely avoidable.

It’s time to change

It’s time to make informed choices that contribute towards a better, brighter future.

It takes the purchase of only one reusable bottle to stay hydrated, with every refill sparing the earth 80 grams of unnecessary carbon dioxide pollution. Just one reusable bottle, regularly refilled at a mains-fed filtered water dispenser, can prevent potentially hundreds of single-use plastic water bottles from ending up in landfills and oceans around the world.

As the leading figure in sustainable drinking water solutions, Zip aims to educate users on the urgent need to reduce our reliance on single-use plastic bottles, for good. Our Reuse Refill Refresh campaign encourages people to stop using single-use plastics both in the home and the workplace, dramatically reducing the impact of plastic water bottles on worldwide pollution to preserve our planet for the future.

To coincide with National Refill Day on 19 June, we’re launching a competition on Instagram for a chance to win one of 10 exclusive Chilly’s water bottles. To enter, you must be following @zipwateruk on Instagram, like the relevant post and comment #reuserefillrefresh, tagging up to five friends. The competition closes at midnight on 26 June. For full terms and conditions please click here.

[1] https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2018/01/10/stark-truth-long-plastic-footprint-will-last-planet/
[2] https://greenerideal.com/infographics/the-environmental-impact-of-plastic-water-bottles/
[3] https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2017/jun/28/a-million-a-minute-worlds-plastic-bottle-binge-as-dangerous-as-climate-change
[4] https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2019/jun/05/people-eat-at-least-50000-plastic-particles-a-year-study-finds