Main image courtesy of Kyiv City State Administration
Ukraine’s capital Kyiv is joining the international Refill movement, giving residents access to free drinking water and reducing the amount of single-use plastic used by city residents.
The city is working to reduce its environmental impact through the Refill initiative, which encourages citizens to refill reusable water bottles, rather than buying water in single-use plastic bottles, through the Refill app.
Over 400 Refill Stations in Kyiv are currently listed on the Refill app, which enables city residents and visitors to quickly locate fountains and shops where they can top up their water bottles.
The Refill app was launched by the non-profit City to Sea; the goal is to help communities transition from a disposable, single-use culture to a more sustainable, circular future, with reuse and refill at its heart.
‘The Refill app allows you to find the nearest establishment where you can get free refills of drinking water if you bring your own reusable bottle, take coffee in your own reusable cup or food in a lunchbox. The app also shows city drinking water fountains where you can get drinking water.
‘Today Kyiv joins the global Refill movement that has over 335,000 Refill Stations mapped all over the world. This is an important step for our city in the fight against plastic pollution.’VOLODYMYR PROKOPIV
Deputy Head of the Kyiv City State Administration for the Exercise of Self-Governance Powers
Through the free to download app, consumers can access a global network of places to refill bottles as well as find places offering rewards for bringing reusable coffee cups and plastic-free stores where they can shop sustainably.
Since 2015, more than 330,000 Refill Stations have been installed globally, offering refills to prevent the use of an estimated 60 million plastic bottles and stopping 762 tonnes of plastic from entering the environment.
‘We are pleased to see Refill expand into Kyiv and offer over 400 stations which give citizens access to free, safe drinking water whilst reducing plastic consumption.
‘Since our launch in 2015, Refill points are now available across the world from the UK to Chile and Ecuador to Japan, giving millions of people the opportunity to live with less plastic. We hope to see this launch continue to give people a safe, free alternative to single-use plastic and encourage more countries to join the refill revolution.’JANE MARTIN
CEO of City to Sea
Refill stations are in use across the UK, including London.
City to Sea worked with Mayor Sadiq Khan to roll out nearly 140 fountains and more than 5,000 cafés, restaurants, pubs and retailers across the city where Londoners can top up their water bottles.
In Kyiv, the project is being implemented by the Department of Environmental Protection and Climate Change Adaptation of the Kyiv City State Administration together with the NGO LUN City.
‘The state of the environment is one of the most important components of a comfortable life in the city. The Refill campaign allows everyone to make a small contribution by minimising the use of plastic in everyday life. That is why we, as an urban research project, are happy to contribute to the emergence of this important initiative in Kyiv.’
ANNA DENYSENKO
Curator of LUN Misto
The English version of the app is currently available to users, with a Ukrainian version planned to be released in the coming months.
Abel & Cole reveals the UK’s first refillable plastic milk bottle.
The man who swapped rock ’n’ roll for rinse ’n’ return is making bottles simply too cool to throw away.
The UK’s only Soil Association Organic certified zero waste store.
Subscribe to our newsletter
Weekly ethical news, offers, comps and a free digital mag (quarterly) – what’s not to love?
