World Refill Day

Today, June 16th, is World Refill Day - a global campaign to prevent plastic pollution and help people live with less waste. The day itself addresses the misconception that as individuals we will never be able to do enough to make a difference to the planet, but the reality is that our small changes really can make the world of difference.  

World Refill Day calls on businesses, brands and governments around the globe to join the refill and reuse revolution and help make that step towards banning single use plastic altogether. It’s the single use, throwaway culture that’s become so commonplace in our society and is a key factor in causing damage to our planet. A shocking 11 million tonnes of plastic end up in our oceans every year, which is the equivalent weight of approximately 100,000 blue whales. Recycling can no longer be the only solution, as there’s simply too much plastic in the world to recycle our way out of this problem. Therefore, reusing the resources that we have existing, instead of continuously creating new ones, is a necessary way of helping to prevent climate change and save the planet. 

There are multiple reasons as to why we should prevent the plastic problem, from protecting the scores of species that live in our oceans, to preserving our own health. For example, microplastic pollution has recently been detected in human blood for the first time, with scientists finding the tiny particles in almost 80% of the people tested.  

At Modern Milkman, enabling people to live a sustainable lifestyle is at the very core of what we believe in. The company began after our founders watched Sir David Attenborough’s Blue Planet and saw the devastation that plastic was having on our oceans, and so a modern take on an old traditional milk round was born, complete with reusable glass bottles; with recyclable, and home-compostable packaging where refilling is not available. When customers sign up to our milkround, they save an average of 316 wheelie bins of plastic bottles per year, and receive independently sourced products delivered to the doorstep, which come in plastic free, compostable, recyclable or return-and-reuse packaging. With less than 2% of packaging being reusable globally, Modern Milkman has sought to change the tide on the throwaway culture. Our customers order their products and groceries via our app, which enables them to buy the exact amount they need to arrive on the precise day, meaning there’s never excess product that gets thrown away. For products in glass bottles, once used, they are rinsed, returned and refilled to be used repeatedly. It’s not just milk, there’s soft drinks, water, milkshakes, juices, and household cleaning products that can all be returned and reused thanks to their glass bottle packaging. 

Through our closed loop system and with the help of our customers, Modern Milkman has so far saved over 45 million plastic bottles from being thrown away to landfill and our oceans, which equates to just over 108,000 wheelie bins full (and counting!). We fight against the plastic problem every day and aim to rally as many others as possible to do so too. We stand behind World Refill Day with full support and call on those organisations to join the refill and reuse revolution and put an end to plastic waste.  

Happy reusing and refilling!