Supermarket chain Morrisons is offering free water refills to its customers at all of its petrol forecourt stores nationwide.
The grocer said it had made the move to encourage customers and motorists to make the switch from single-use plastic to refillable bottles.
Interested customers will now be able to hand their reusable bottles to forecourt attendants who will provide free water refills. The service will be available at all of Morrisons 338 filling stations across the UK.
Morrisons provided free water refills as part of a 12-week trial in August 2020, and reported that 18% fewer single-use water bottles were sold compared to the same period one year before.
Standalone water fountains have been installed in the Food-to-Go sections of Morrisons’ stores too, and free water refills have been offered in all of Morrisons cafe stores since 2018.
Natasha Cook, sustainability manager at Morrisons, said: “When we listen to customers, it’s clear they want us to help them reduce the amount of single-use plastic they throw away.
“We know that customers often pick up a bottle of water when paying for petrol, so offering free water should be an effective way of reducing these single-use plastic bottles.”
Natalie Fée, CEO & founder of environmental organisation City to Sea, said: “Plastic water bottles are one of the most commonly found single-use plastic items on our beaches and in our oceans, which is why we have to make refilling our water bottles the new normal.
“Our free Refill app shows you where you can top up your bottle for free and now includes the 338 Morrisons petrol stations – which is absolutely brilliant news for people and the planet.”
Customers can locate refill stations by using the Refill App and the website.
Meanwhile, it was announced this week that refillable bottle manufacturer Bottle Up’s products will be stocked in the majority of Morrisons stores by the end of 2021.
The products can already be purchased at several retailers including WHSmith stores, and online at Holland & Barrett.
[Image: Copyright: © Mikael Buck / Morrisons]
