Join the Refill revolution here in Dorset
We’ve teamed up with City to Sea to bring Dorset into the Refill Britain family. The Refill Britain project seeks to reduce the number of single-use plastic bottles which end up littering our parks and open spaces, our beaches and sea, by simply encouraging everyone to use refillable bottles instead. We’re looking for businesses to join the scheme. It’s free, and we’ll even give you free promotion.
All you need to do is agree to offer your customers free tapwater refills, and pop a sticker in your window to show it’s OK to ask. Want to join in?
Introducing our Business Award Scheme
Litter Free Coast and Sea has created this free award for all types of businesses along the Dorset and East Devon coast. We know how important clean beaches with high bathing water quality are to the local communities, tourism and the environment.
That’s why by making simple changes, business can support and help create cleaner seas.
Take your business from good to great with these simple measures that make all the difference.
Healthy beaches. Happy people.
There are plenty of reasons why cleaner beaches and seas are important to local communities, tourism and the success of businesses in Dorset.
Sometimes the issues are hard to see. What we throw away, flush down the toilet and pour down our sinks can block drains and sewers allowing litter and sewage to enter the sea after heavy rainfall, affecting the bathing water quality for swimmers and water users.
By taking part in the Litter Free Coast and Sea Business Award Scheme and making a few simple alterations to the way you operate you will help create great beaches free of litter with improved water quality which, in turn, will benefit your business.
The scheme is also a great way of boosting your environmental credentials to customers.
Every business can make a difference.
Whether you are a café, restaurant, bar, bed & breakfast, hotel, holiday park or campsite. Beachfront or further inland, you can make a valued difference to your business, the wider community and the environment.
Download the application form, fill it in on your computer and email the finished copy to us at litterfreecoastsea@dorsetcc.gov.uk.
Help cut single-use plastic in Dorset
We want to help local businesses to move away from single-use plastic and change to more sustainable options that is cost effective for them and helps with the litter issue at the beaches. We use the Waste Hierarchy as our guide, with the best first approach to REDUCE any excess or unnecessary packaging, followed by the REUSE of containers by encouraging customers to bring their own and/or provide reusable options. The last option is to resort to using single-use packaging that can be RECYCLED/COMPOSTED.
We ran 3 Plastic Surgery events at West Bay, Bournemouth and Weymouth in February 2018, where local food outlets and kiosks were provided with information and support to switch to changing changing their food and drink packaging. They also had the opportunity to meet and talk to eco-friendly and sustainable packaging suppliers, along with listening to other local businesses who have already started their journey to reduce the amount of waste they produce.
We would now like to share what we have learnt with you, so that you can make the change and reduce the amount of single-use plastic you use. We are not experts but we hope that with our research and information you can make an informed decision on what you do next.
To visit our resources page with case studies, tips, information and next steps, CLICK HERE
Dorset magazine is excited to launch this new award together with Litter Free Coast & Sea and Litter Free Dorset.
For this award we are looking for a local Food or Drink related business, who go the extra mile for the environment. This year’s eco award is focusing on things businesses are doing to reduce plastic and single use item consumption, litter prevention and things businesses are doing to help prevent bathing water pollution. Perhaps they go above and beyond to encourage customers to reduce or recycle their waste; for example by stopping the use of straws or offering incentives to customers to have their takeaway coffee served in their own reusable cup. Perhaps they run clean up events or perhaps they have recently installed a fat trap. Is the business involved in any local community environmental projects or any other inspiring initiatives? It is these businesses that we want to hear about.
For more information or to enter the award, CLICK HERE
