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Midlands water company Severn Trent is to launch the Refill Scheme in Leicester which will see people able to fill up reusable water bottles for free.

The company has teamed up with founding organisation City to Sea to rollout the scheme in the city on 13 December.

The initiative will allow people to fill up reusable water bottles for free at member businesses – such as pubs, restaurants and cafes. Businesses involved simply display the Refill window sticker to let passers-by know they can fill up for free, and a smartphone app is also available which maps out Refill station locations.

Severn Trent’s corporate responsibility lead Jess Fidler, said: “We’ll be in Leicester city centre with our volunteers aiming to sign up as many local businesses as possible. We want independent retailers to be part of it, and the bigger chains too as it’s a fantastic opportunity to promote the wonderful benefits of water.

“As well as making access to tap water easier, Refill is a brilliant way to reduce plastic pollution and cut the amount of bottles ending up in rivers, canals and landfill sites.I’d really encourage as many businesses as possible in Leicester to get involved.”

Natalie Fee, who founded City to Sea in 2015, added: “Refill puts the power to stop plastic pollution in people's hands - it's a fantastically easy way to reduce your plastic consumption and save money at the same time. Businesses can add themselves to the app too and help create the wave of change needed to keep plastic bottles out of our oceans.”

The rollout in Leicester follows successful launches of Refill in Coventry, Gloucester and Nottingham.

Data shows that around 7.7 billion plastic bottles are bought across the UK each year, resulting in substantial amounts of single-use plastic waste. The average UK household uses 480 plastic bottles a year, but only recycles 270 of them.

The Refill app can be downloaded for free on Google Play or the App Store. Anyone wanting to get in touch, find out more about Refill, or those looking to sign up or become an ambassador for their local area, can email refill@severntrent.co.uk.