The environmental charity, The 2 Minute Foundation is asking the public to take on the 2 Minute Refill challenge this November with a pledge to refill just two items, support their local refill shops, and reduce the amount of single-use plastic next month.

By encouraging the public to make the choice to refill – whether that’s refilling a water bottle, shampoo, or even just using a reusable bag on the next trip to the shops, the charity wants to highlight the positive impact and reduction of single-use plastic that can be made.

The challenge lands in the same month the UK’s Refill Coalition – a group consisting of Aldi UK, Ocado Retail and the supply chain solutions company, CHEP – launches its pilot refill vessel within Aldi’s Solihull store.

The Coalition has pinpointed refill as a ‘key component in tackling single-use plastic packaging waste’, estimating that should every household in the UK refill just one item per week rather than purchasing packaged, it would eliminate over 1.4 billion items of single-use packaging every year.

The 2 Minute Foundation – the charity behind events such as the 2 Minute Beach Clean and 2 Minute Street Clean in which the public are challenged to dedicate just 2 minutes of their time to the task – is now asking people to make a free pledge via its website – www.2minute.org (where you can find a directory of your local and nearest refill shops) – so by the end of November the collective impact of action can be measured.

“Plastic is just part of the problem we have with waste. It’s costing us millions each year to dispose of and causes millions of tonnes of greenhouse gases to enter the atmosphere each year. From extraction to the end of its use, plastic creates climate change emissions at every stage of its life cycle. Plastic IS climate change,” said the charity.

“Every effort we make to cut down on waste, reducing reliance on plastic, removing plastic from the marine environment, and finding reusable alternatives to plastic takes us one step closer to living in a healthy environment.

“Choosing to refill means reducing the amount of plastic waste going to landfill or into the ocean. It reduces the demand for single-use plastic products, which, in turn, impacts the supply chain and encourages businesses to invest in more sustainable options (including refill) instead.”

SiLC 2023 driving reuse this November

Playing its part in driving the message of reuse, the Sustainability in Licensing Conference – taking place at the Royal Geographical Society in London on Wednesday, 8 November – is encouraging attendees to bring refillable water bottles and reusable coffee cups to use throughout the day.

The Conference will also be re-issuing its guidance to all attendees to bring their old lanyards to be used while at the event. These actions, while only small, will have a positive impact in driving down single-use waste.

Reuse is a fundamental component of driving a successful circular economy and key to understanding and unlocking the value of materials already in the system.