A GEOGRAPHY graduate wants to encourage cafés and restaurants to fill up shoppers’ water bottles for free.

Hollie Snyder has launched new group Swindon Refill, a local branch of a national charity aimed at tackling a growing tide of plastic waste.

The 21-year-old from Haydon Wick said: “Refill is a nationwide programme that started in Bristol. It’s to encourage cafés, small businesses and anywhere with a tap to allow passersby to refill their bottles for free.

“Most places don’t refuse water, but many people don’t ask. They don’t feel confident asking.

“The programme is about reducing the amount of single-use plastic bottles and encouraging people to recycle.”

She will soon be touring Swindon businesses to hand out stickers that can be put in the windows of firms happy to refill people’s water bottles. Shoppers can search for participating businesses on the free Refill app. The scheme is free for businesses.

Will Davies of Faringdon Road coffee shop Darkroom Espresso backed the scheme. The trendy town centre café already fills-up customers’ water bottles. Asked why, Will said: “It’s obviously the right thing to do.”

Similarly, Hollie wants to do her bit to save the planet: “I did a geography degree. It was through that I became an environmentalist. I think it’s so important now to get rid of single use plastic. This is something that’s relatively easy.

“Using refillable water bottles isn’t the only solution, but it is a first step. It’s something that’s so easy for people to do.

“There’s so much plastic waste that gets into our oceans. I think it’s really important that we make a start.”

In Swindon, growing numbers of people are turning their backs on plastic.

Labour’s South Swindon MP candidate Sarah Church has pledged to go plastic-free for July.

Speaking to the Swindon Advertiser, she called on the supermarkets to make it easier for shoppers to avoid plastics:“There are things consumers can be doing, but you cannot expect the people in their daily lives to spend an extra several hours a week shopping around.

“It should be made easier for anybody on any budget to pick up their refillable bottles or vegetables without them being covered in plastic.

“It needs to be convenient, and these big supermarkets could totally do it if they had the will to do it."

Sarah has been shopping at Swindon Pulse in Curtis Street which offer refills for cleaning products and other items. “If they can offer refills, why can’t Sainsbury’s, and Morrisons and Asda do that?” she asked.

Swindon Climate Action Network, a local campaign group, has been into schools to encourage youngsters to go plastic-free this month.

Activist Ben Bell said: “At the moment there is a lot of growth in the plastics campaign group and a lot of people want to get involved after seeing Blue Plant. It’s really woken people up.”

For more about Swindon Refill, visit: www.refill.org.uk.