Refilling your water bottle when out and about has become a lot easier following the launch of a plastic-reducing scheme.

Cafes, restaurants, tourist attractions and other publicly accessible premises around the island are now displaying a blue, easy-to-recognise sticker on windows and appearing on an app for people to use.

This is all part of the Refill Isle of Man initiative that was launched this week by Unesco Biosphere Isle of Man with Manx Utilities’ support.

The initiative encourages people to reduce their plastic use by providing access to tap water free on request. It is run by City to Sea in the UK, which is a not-for-profit organisation that strives to prevent marine plastic pollution.

Minister for Environment, Food and Agriculture, Geoffrey Book MHK, said: ’It’s time to turn the plastic water bottle from the fashion accessory it had become to something socially unacceptable when used once and thrown away.

’Refill will make it easy to fill up with water on the move. We hope premises will become Refill stations - and that residents and visitors alike will visit these stations to fill up their own bottles with water when out and about.

’I must praise the small number of local organisations who had already, independently, registered with Refill, as well as those who suggested we adopt and run an island-wide scheme, among them local artist Jeni Wood.’

Dr Alex Allinson, chairman of Manx Utilities - the island’s water provider - said: ’We are delighted to support the Refill scheme as an environmentally sustainable way of supplying the excellent quality water we have in the Isle of Man to those on the move.’

The launch took place at the Manx Wildlife Trust shop, Peel, which has become a Refill station with a drinking water fountain installed.

You can download the free Refill app to find stations.

For more details or to sign your organisation up as a Refill station, email [email protected], visit www.gov.im/Refill, follow UNESCO Biosphere Isle of Man’s social media pages or ring 01624 695738.