Sign up as a Refill Isle of Man Station

When our and about in our UNESCO Biosphere it’s handy to be able to fill up a reusable bottle with tap water to stay hydrated.

Our Refill Isle of Man scheme allows you to do just that at 140+ Refill Stations Island-wide.

This spring and summer, we seek even more Isle of Man outlets to sign up to Refill Isle of Man and help us reduce reliance on single-use plastic and plastic pollution.

Refill Stations are places with public footfall – shops, cafes, museums, tourist attractions, etc.

They feature on the free global Refill app, available on Apple and Android, and display an internationally recognised distinctive round blue sticker featuring a water tap.

Most of us are now in the habit of carrying reusable bottle and filling up, rather than buying water in plastic bottles.

Plastic is made of oil, a precious commodity the world needs to use less of as it tackles the climate emergency. Plastic bottles travel, in some cases, thousands of miles to reach us – for a single use and then to end up in a bin, or, worse, carelessly discarded and blighting our landscape and harming wildlife.

Manx tap water is given to us by nature. It falls from the skies into our reservoirs and, thanks to rigorous processing by Manx Utilities, quickly reaches our taps just a few miles down the road as pure as can be – and minus packaging.

Our Refill Isle of Man Stations do just that: top up reusable water bottles and even re-used plastic water bottles for customers and passers-by who pop in and ask.

As the weather warms up and we get out and about more, we will sign up even more premises to join this expanding network.

It’s free to get involved. We just need a few details from you to add you to the app and send you your stickers, posters and welcome.

You don’t have to do anything different. You would probably refill a water bottle if someone asked you, anyway, but this gives the customer the confidence to ask – and marks you out as a business that cares about reducing plastic use and waste and supporting our UNESCO Biosphere.

You can use it in your marketing. Don’t forget to tag us and Manx Utilities if you do, and we’ll share your wonderful commitment.

As we welcome visitors back to the Island from all over the world, the app and sticker may attract new customers to your business, with resulting benefits.

There are a few, very simple, hygiene guidelines, updated by our health experts post Covid. We send those to you on signing up.

And, no, signing up as a Refill Station does not mean you must stop selling water in bottles if you are a shop or café and rely on this for your bottom line. We appreciate we are a way off from that.

It is simply your statement of support for a sustainable future for our UNESCO Biosphere and our planet – and, ultimately, for reducing plastic use and pollution.

Join in the #RefillRevolution here.

Refill is run by the charity City to Sea and in the Isle of Man under licence by UNESCO Biosphere Isle of Man.