Refill Isle of Man

Refill Isle of Man is reducing consumption of plastic water bottles, take-out food containers and other single-use plastics that are harmful to our environment.

UNESCO Biosphere Isle of Man is the licenced operator for the Refill scheme in the Isle of Man.

Refill Stations - shops, cafes, museums etc - display the easily identifiable blue Refill sticker and fill up bottles with cold tap water, lunch boxes with take-out food, re-usable cups with hot drinks, and other containers with various products, dependent on the outlet and service it provides.

They appear on the official Refill app, searchable while on the move.

Download the app to see the Island’s Refill Stations.

It is free and easy to sign up as a Refill Station, provided you meet the hygiene requirements available on the right and for tap water Refills, have a suitable tap at your premises. Simply click 'apply now' and complete the online form, and we will aim to process your application within 2 working days. If you have any queries please email biosphere@gov.im or ring +44 1624 695738.

If you don’t have a suitable tap for Refill just yet...

Install a new tap onto your existing plumbing to become a Refill station

If you don’t already have a suitable tap to use as a Refill station and wish to install one onto your existing plumbing; you should use an approved plumber for the installation to ensure it complies with relevant regulations. You should also contact Manx Utilities on +44 1624 687687 or email tap-in@manxutilities.im to arrange a meeting with the Byelaws Inspector for advice and inspection. Once installed and checked, use the sign up form on the right to request your new Refill station.

Ask about a pop up-Refill station

If you’re interested in installing a stand-alone Refill station away from a building it is likely that you will require a new mains connection first. More information on new mains connections here or contact Manx Utilities on +44 1624 687687 or email tap-in@manxutilities.im.

All Refill applications are subject to meeting the hygiene requirements outlined in the Water Quality and Hygiene Advice document on the right.

Information for businesses from Refill

Paying

Businesses will have to pay for the water themselves, but with 30-40 Refills per toilet flush you are talking pennies or fractions of pennies. Shops, therefore, will not a get a deduction on their water bills.

You must not charge people to use Refill. The premise of Refill is ‘free accessible drinking water’. Some places may have charity pots nearby – in Bude one place has three for various local charities next to the refill decanter – please don’t directly ask though.

Bottled water sales

Some people are worried they will lose lots of money in bottled water sales however there’s a huge opportunity to make more money and you make a difference with Refill. Most drinks come in other packaging and water comes in glass bottles too. We have heard only positive things from participating businesses in other towns and cities. And we are not asking you to stop selling throw-away plastic bottles; we are just asking that if someone comes in asking for a Refill you’ll fill up their bottles for free.

Refill decanter hygiene

The business is responsible for the hygiene of the Refill decanter but café / restaurant staff are trained in hygiene and the business should have certificates for this. For non-catering businesses the key hygiene points are not touching bottles near the neck, asking customers to remove lids themselves and maintaining a gap between bottle and water source so there is no contact.

General advice to all Refillers is regularly clean your bottle as you would a glass in your home.

Survey results

A YouGov survey in 2018 highlighted that 64% of consumers would be more likely to return for future purchases if they could refill their water bottle. 62% said it would make them choose a business that offered free refills over a competitor and 73% would view a business more favourably if it gave free tap or filtered water on request.

If you really do not feel that Refill is for you, you can leave at any time.