Council climate action and emissions summary 2022-23

Since the publication of the Climate Action Plan the council has been working to increase the amount of reuse, repair and waste prevention in Kingston by sharing knowledge and supporting community groups across the borough.

Council officers, Councillors and community groups have been gathering every two months to discuss waste reduction, reuse and recycling at Recycling Minds meetings. Participants have been networking, sharing ideas and project updates to promote more sustainable waste practices in the borough.

The council helped launch a Zero Waste Map in August 2022, advising residents and visitors to South-West London as to where they can shop whilst supporting the local circular economy, which can be accessed via phone or computer. The map shows businesses, facilities and workshops that encourage the circular economy by eradicating waste packaging, encouraging reuse, upcycling and repair or offering facilities to recycle goods and materials once they have reached end of life.

A reusable nappy webpage was launched on Kingston’s website in February 2023. This includes advice on reusable nappies and links to neighbouring nappy libraries, where residents can trial different branded reusable nappies for their babies. For 2023/24, Kingston will be part of the Real Nappies for London voucher scheme, offering 30 vouchers to low-income families and three reusable nappy engagement and baby clothing swap events will be taking place.

In March 2023, Kingston joined the pan-London Eat Like a Londoner campaign led by ReLondon. Eat Like a Londoner is a platform built to engage and educate Londoners on how to reduce their food carbon footprint. The platform has links to lots of content on food waste reduction and planet friendly diets. The campaign will consist of three bursts of London wide advertising as well as more localised communications to residents. 

In November 2022, the council coordinated with Sunray Recycles to set up a one hour a week volunteering opportunity at Kingston Cemetery. This involved the separation of wreaths from their casings to ensure the flowers were composted and the plastic casings reused or repurposed. 

A space was provided at Kingston Library for Transition Town Kingston’s Repair Cafe, which opened in February 2023. The Repair Cafe takes place on the first Saturday of every month where volunteer fixers support the community with fixing broken items and stopping items from being needlessly thrown away. 

Over the past year there has been a focus on intelligence gathering through public consultation, a “waste composition analysis”, carbon modelling, design options for the infrastructure at the Villiers Road Household Reuse and Recycling Centre and a plan to reduce the amount of contamination in the recycling collected that reduces the carbon benefit of those services.