London – The UK-registered charity REUSE Foundation, known for its successful Bottles for Good campaign, has received funding from the National Lottery Community Fund to launch a new pilot program called the Community Hub Reuse and Refill Pilot. This initiative aims to bring refill and reuse directly into local communities in order to help households save money and reduce their plastic waste.
The program will be implemented across four established community hubs in Newham, East London, with the goal of promoting refill and reuse behaviors while also reducing the cost of everyday essentials for local households.
According to Roger Sharp, Trustee of REUSE Foundation, “This is about making refill part of everyday life, in the places where people already trust.” The organization saw the success of its Bottles for Good campaign, which involved refill shops across the UK stocking free, high-quality reusable bottles to encourage reuse habits. This inspired them to work with local community stores to further promote refill behaviors.
The National Lottery Community Fund’s Awards For All program has awarded a grant to fund a 12-month pilot, including a two-month set-up phase, to test the feasibility of implementing refill sustainably in areas with high need. The charity and its work are supported locally by MP and government minister Sir Stephen Timms.
The pilot program will involve food hubs and community spaces that are frequently visited by households, providing them with reusable containers and introducing the refill scheme. Food clubs and community venues will also host refill stations where households can top up on everyday essentials at close to cost price. Products will be priced to cover only the cost of supply, ensuring that the scheme can continue and save people money.
REUSE Foundation is working with the Newham Food Alliance, an organization that supports 41 food banks and clubs in East London, as well as bulk refill suppliers LESS& and Fill Refill, who will provide product and expertise to help get the pilot off the ground.
This initiative is important as UK households face rising costs and growing awareness of plastic waste. By implementing refill in places where people already visit for support, REUSE Foundation hopes to show that reuse can be affordable, practical, and community-led. “If we can show that refill works here, in the places where it matters most, we can build something that scales across the country,” says Roger Sharp.
Over the next few months, REUSE Foundation will work with Ascension Community Trust and other local partners to launch the refill stations, track the impact of the program, and use the results to inform a future bid to the National Lottery Community Fund’s Reaching Communities program.
About REUSE Foundation:
REUSE Foundation is a UK-registered charity dedicated to developing and supporting practical solutions that reduce reliance on single-use plastic and deliver change at scale. In addition to its work in the UK, the organization also supports a reuse-model pilot in rural India and has conducted a global survey of reuse practitioners.
Media Contacts:
For press enquiries, interviews or high-resolution imagery:
Roger Sharp, contact 07941 372343, roger@reusefoundation.org
Social: @reuse.foundation #CommunityHubs #CommunityHubsRefill #BottlesForGood #RefillNotLandfill #Reuse #CircularSolutions
