City to Sea closes after 10 years of plastic pollution campaigns

Environmental charity City to Sea has announced it will close operations this month after a decade of campaigning against plastic pollution. The Bristol-based organisation cited funding challenges and competitive grant environment as driving factors behind the decision to shut down.

The charity shuts its doors following significant achievements in tackling single-use plastic. Its flagship Refill app, launched in 2016, has been downloaded over 750,000 times and lists more than 370,000 refill stations worldwide. The network is estimated to have prevented 100 million single-use plastic bottles from entering the waste stream annually.

City to Sea secured notable policy victories through targeted campaigns. The #SwitchTheStick campaign, backed by over 150,000 people, led to the UK ban on plastic cotton buds. Similarly, the #CutTheCutlery campaign contributed to England's prohibition of single-use plastic cutlery, plates and polystyrene takeaway packaging.

Recent polling by City to Sea reveals strong consumer appetite for sustainable packaging alternatives. The research shows 72 per cent of UK consumers want more reusable, refillable and returnable options where they shop, with 76 per cent willing to use refillable packaging for everyday items.

Despite this consumer appetite for change, City to Sea faced mounting financial pressures that proved insurmountable.

Jane Martin, CEO of City to Sea, commented:  "But despite growing public demand for reuse, the reality is that underfunding, lack of enabling regulation, and a system still optimised for single-use have made our mission as a non-profit increasingly unsustainable."

Martin added: "We're incredibly proud of what we've achieved over the past decade. When we started, refill and reuse were nowhere to be seen in strategic roadmaps and business plans. Since then, we've witnessed real shifts with city-wide reuse initiatives across the UK and upcoming EPR and DRS legislations."

Refill network continues operations

Despite the charity's closure, the Refill infrastructure remains operational. The app continues to connect users with participating businesses including major chains such as Costa Coffee, Pret A Manger and Starbucks, alongside thousands of independent outlets.

The Refill campaign had grown to include over 420 local schemes across the UK, ranging from community groups to local authority initiatives. International expansion saw schemes established across Latin America, Europe and other regions, creating what City to Sea described as a global movement.

Recent schemes have demonstrated commercial success. Cardiff's Refill Return Cup initiative, launched in partnership with City to Sea, achieved 2,500 cups borrowed and 97 per cent return rates within its first month of operation.

The closure comes as retailers face increasing pressure to implement reuse systems. Recent surveys indicate two-thirds of UK consumers want supermarkets to prioritise refill stations over single-use packaging. The Waste and Resources Action Programme's UK Plastics Pact requires member retailers including Tesco, Sainsbury's and Asda to commercialise at least two reusable packaging systems by end-2025.

Natalie Fée, founder of City to Sea, said: "When we started out back in 2015, I couldn't have imagined the scale of the impact we'd have in the fight against single-use plastic, from our high streets to our supermarkets, from our rivers to our seas. And none of it would have been possible without the support of our team, our board, our donors, our partners and our communities."

City to Sea is working with partners to secure long-term continuation of its programmes and campaigns, with announcements expected in coming weeks.