Help Manchester become the most refillable city by using this cool new water bottle

Written by Louise Rhind-Tutt
Last updated 5 years ago
City of Manchester, Festivals, Food & Drink

We all know we need to cut down on single-use plastics. We buy a whopping 7.7 billion plastic bottles annually across the UK, resulting in substantial amounts of single-use plastic waste ending up in our oceans.

To do our bit, I Love MCR® has teamed up with the Manchester Food & Drink Festival for The Refill Campaign. The scheme encourages participating cafes, bars, restaurants, banks, galleries, museums and other businesses to sign up to the free Refill app and put a sticker in their window so passers-by know they’re welcome to fill up their bottle for free.

And now, Mancunians looking to ditch the plastic can buy a special MFDF and I Love MCR® branded version of Chilly’s stylish re-usable water bottles at the special price of £15, with £3 per bottle from sales going directly to the Refill Campaign.

The striking blue bottles are available in the I Love MCR® online shop and at the Festival Hub, the centre piece of Manchester Food and Drink Festival, which is currently taking place in Cathedral Gardens. Customers are being encouraged to refill them at the city’s many new Refill points.

“There’s no excuse for single-use plastics now,” says I Love MCR® CEO Chris Greenhalgh.

“Carrying a plastic bottle of water almost feels like smoking in public. And these new metal vessels not only look good but they keep your water cold and actually encourage you to drink more water throughout the day.”

Participating venues where you can get free water refills include BrewDog, Home Sweet Home, Chaat Cart, Manchester Art Gallery, The Mouse Trap, El Gato Negro, Wahaca, Canto, Mowgli, Tampopo, Cane and Grain, The Bay Horse Tavern, The Liars Club, Crazy Pedro’s, TNQ, Kala, Hispi, Tast, Cottonopolis, Black Dog NQ and Dog Bowl, Dishoom, Mackie Mayor, Altrincham Market House, Sandbar, Albatross and Arnold, The Refuge, Hatch, Foodwell, Cosy Club, Epicerie Ludo, Volta and Electrik.

And MFDF are hoping more restaurants, cafes and bars will sign up to the campaign.

“The campaign to reduce plastic waste with the MFDF and I Love MCR® refillable water bottle campaign has been a great success, and we’re very proud of our new branded water bottles,” says Alexa Stratton-Powell, director of the Manchester Food & Drink Festival.

“We now have 60 new restaurants signed up and people are making the most of them and not buying single use plastic.

“We’d still like to encourage more sign ups, so if you are a restaurant, cafe or coffee shop then please do contact us and we will sign you up!”

Manchester venues wanting to take part in The Refill Campaign should email: George@foodanddrinkfestival.com. MFDF and I Love MCR® branded version of Chilly’s stylish re-usable water bottles are available at the special price of £15, with £3 per bottle going directly to the Refill Campaign, from the MFDF Hub and I Love MCR® online shop.

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