Scheme has a lot of bottle

SHOPPERS can now quench their thirsts for free as a designer outlet centre has launched a new green scheme.Â

Gunwharf Quays in Portsmouth has unveiled a new initiative, Refill Me, which allows guests to easily identify where reusable water bottles can be refilled with no obligation to make a purchase from the retailer.

The campaign hopes to cut single-use plastic consumption.  

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Since  it  launched last week, a total of six shops have signed up to take part '“ all of which are proudly displaying Refill Me stickers in their windows.  

Gunwharf Quays brands signed include; Costa Coffee, Caffe Nero, Patisserie Valerie, The Cornish Bakery and Whittard of Chelsea.

Guests can also visit the car park reception, Guest Relations Suite in Central Square and the Marina office.

The new campaign is part of the centre's wider green strategy, which includes increasing its combined recycling and reuse performance from 48 per cent to 75 per cent, four years ahead of the company target.

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Colin Wilding, general manager at Gunwharf Quays, said: '˜We are delighted to bring the '˜Refill Me' project to Gunwharf Quays.

'˜With plastics high on the  agenda, we hope the initiative will encourage even more visitors to bring reusable bottles, safe in the knowledge they will be able to refill them across the centre.'' 

Gunwharf Quays is owned and managed by Landsec, which is rolling the Refill Me programme out across all of its centres nationwide. 

Tom Byrne, sustainability manager, said: '˜Refill Me is a brilliant way of reducing the amount of waste we produce from single-use plastics. We're really excited to be able to offer our guests a sustainable shopping experience.'