Holiday resort marks World Refill Day 2022 with 300,000 drop in single‐use plastic
Cuts out 25,000 plastic water bottles per year
Wales’ Bluestone National Park Resort has cut the amount of wasted single-use plastic bottles by 25,000 a year, it was revealed on World Refill day.
Guests have been urged to use reusable bottles and cups at the resort as part of efforts to reduce waste and the use of single-use disposable plastic bottles and cups after it stopped selling them.
The Pembrokeshire‐based 500-acre resort removed all plastic bottled water from sale on World Refill Day in 2021 as part of a partnership with City to Sea, the environmental organisation behind World Refill Day (today 16th June) and the national Refill campaign and app which helps people to eat, drink and shop with less plastic.
The decision to remove plastic bottled water from sale is part of a long‐term sustainability drive for Bluestone and has prevented 25,000 plastic water bottles from being used each year at the resort.
Two years ago, all of the resort’s 800‐strong staff were given reusable drinks flasks, which has helped reduce plastic water bottles and disposable coffee cups by more than 12,000 items per year. Since 2018 the resort has reduced its single‐use material by 300,000 items.
Marten Lewis, Head of Corporate Responsibility at Bluestone said: “Partnering with City to Sea and the national Refill campaign is an important step in a long process of operating an environmentally sustainable tourism resort. Guests are more than happy to play their part in the move to eliminate unnecessary single‐use plastic. We have made significant progress, already reducing our single‐use material by 300,000 items since 2018.”
The UK has some of the best drinking water in the world and at Bluestone, around 60% of the tap water comes from a natural borehole – providing high‐ quality, natural drinking water which is free for staff and guests. There are already four dedicated refill stations on the resort.
Visitors to Bluestone are encouraged to download the Refill app, which allows them to search for hundreds of tap water Refill stations around Wales, where they will be able to fill up on the go, for free.
Bluestone guests are also offered a 10% discount on hot drinks if they bring a reusable cup to any of the resort’s outlets instead of asking for a takeaway cup.
Research revealed today by City to Sea to mark World Refill Day, suggests that the cost‐of‐living crisis is making it harder for consumers to make sustainable purchasing decisions and avoid single‐use plastic, despite this still being a big concern for 95% of people surveyed.
The research reveals that sustainability is falling down the priority list for consumers, with cost coming out on top; 48% of Brits report changing where they shop or what they buy in the last six months, and 60% saying they now have to prioritise cost over any other criteria.
City to Sea says it is ‘completely unfair’ that consumers are being forced to ditch their ethics in the face of the cost‐of‐living crisis and making reuse and refill options more readily available is ‘critical’.
A total of 93% of people surveyed said they would like to see more refill and reuse options available, although more than a third (34%) indicated it would depend on the cost.
Natalie Fee, founder of City to Sea said: “Customers are rightly upset at having to choose between the cost to their wallets and the cost to the planet. We know that the public still care about plastic pollution and want to do more but retailers and brands just aren’t making it accessible or affordable for us!
“We need big brands, businesses and retailers to take action to prevent plastic pollution by reducing their use of single‐use packaging and investing in reuse and refill systems. And we need governments around the world to hold them to account.”
She continued: “We urgently need to shift from our disposable, single‐use culture to a more sustainable, circular future, with reuse and refill at the centre. The good news is, we already have the tools we need to change the world. A reusable future is possible.”
Midweek packages at Bluestone National Park Resort start from £? for four nights in a four‐person family lodge.
‐ENDS‐ About Bluestone National Park Resort Wales
Bluestone National Park Resort is situated in 500 acres of rolling countryside in the heart of Pembrokeshire. The resort comprises 344 cabin‐style woodland lodges, colourful terraced cottages and studio apartments built around a purpose‐built but traditionally‐designed village featuring shops, a pub, six restaurants and an award‐winning exclusive holistic spa, The Well Spa Retreat.
Work has started on a £23 million investment of 80 new ‘Platinum’ luxury ecologically sensitive lodges, which will have their own private entrance and virtual check‐in, providing some of the most luxurious facilities to date at the resort. The first of the Platinum lodges are due to open in Summer 2023.
All of the accommodation and the picturesque village lie within the boundaries of the beautiful Pembrokeshire Coast National Park with more than 50 beaches an hour’s drive away.
Activities in resort range from High Ropes and Sky Walk in the all‐weather hub Serendome, the Blue Lagoon water park, kayaking and paddle boarding on the lake, plus multiple forest trails. Activities away from the resort range from the Pembrokeshire Coast Adventure, Cleddau River Adventure and coasteering.
Located close to the town of Narberth, Bluestone National Park Resort is a 30‐ minute drive from Tenby and a 20‐minute drive from Haverfordwest.
www.bluestonewales.com
Media Contacts
Yvonne Buckingham, Director of Communications, Bluestone National Park Wales, yvonne@bluestonewales.com
Helen Coop, Four Communications, helen.coop@fourcommunications.com 07584 473202
Louise Longman, Four Communications,
louise.longman@fourcommunications.com
07594 930975