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.
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.
There are over 400 Refill Stations in Kyiv currently listed on the Refill app, which enables residents and visitors to quickly locate fountains and shops where they can top up their water bottles. The app was launched by non-profit City to Sea and aims to help communities transition from a disposable, single-use culture to a more sustainable, circular future, with reuse and refill at the centre.
Consumers can access a network of places to refill bottles as well as find locations offering rewards for bringing reusable coffee cups and plastic-free stores where they can shop sustainably.
Since 2015, more than 330,000 Refill Stations offering refills have been implemented globally. The stations are in use across the UK, including London where City to Sea worked with Mayor Sadiq Khan to roll out nearly 140 fountains and more than 5,000 cafés, restaurants, pubs, and retailers.
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.
Volodymyr Prokopiv, deputy head of the Kyiv City State Administration for the Exercise of Self-Governance Powers, said, “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.”
Jane Martin, CEO of City to Sea, added, “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.”
Currently, the English version of the app is available to users, but a Ukrainian version is planned to be released in the coming months.
For more information, visit www.refill.org.uk.
