Eat less meat and dairy produce

You can reduce your environmental impact by eating less meat and dairy produce. By choosing locally grown food you can reduce carbon emissions from transportation and prolonged refrigeration.

The facts

14.5% of global greenhouse gases are caused by meat and dairy production and 11% of Camden household’s total consumption-based carbon emissions are from food and drink choices. You can halve your food-based carbon emissions by cutting down on meat in your diet. Try this climate food calculator to find out how you can reduce your impact.

Over 10 million tonnes of food is wasted every year in the UK and 67% of household food waste is still edible when thrown away. Learn about simple everyday food hacks and tips that'll help you save your food from the bin from the Love Food Hate Waste Campaign.

More actions, initiatives and information

• Eat less meat and dairy produce: 10 tips to eat more plant-based food
• Join a Camden based vegetable delivery scheme such as Vegbox
• Learn more about the impact of food on the environment. What to eat: food and the environment
• Download a free mobile app designed to support food waste reduction and cost saving at home. Kitche, the food waste app
• Find, buy, access collect, or help move edible surplus food online with: Olio food sharing app - Too good to go - Plan Zheroes

Drive less, walk and cycle more

You can reduce your environmental impact by leaving the car at home and cycling or walking more. If the journey it too far to walk or cycle, use public transport instead. 

The facts

14% of CO2 emissions and 50% of all air pollution in Camden is caused by road transport. The poor air quality causes 9,500 deaths in London each year. The council runs a free bicycle loan scheme for those who want to experience the advantages of cycling but do not yet have a bike of their own. 

Camden residents make over 80,000 trips by car every day. 80% of these trips could be walked, cycled, or made by public transport. If you have to use a car, try joining a car club. This will save you money and reduce your carbon emissions.

More actions, initiatives and information

• Find out about how we are making it easier for you to walk and cycle in Camden

• Take up Camden's free cycle skills training, there is training for everyone 

• Open a Play Street in your neighbourhood so that children can play in a traffic-free street

You can reduce your environmental impact from consumption and waste by buying less, repairing broken products, sharing and reusing what you already have. It also important to avoid single use items where possible.

The facts

16% of a Camden resident’s environmental impact comes from buying new items for the home and every year Londoners throw away 2 million tonnes of waste – enough to fill the Thames. Instead of buying items you’ll only use once, why not borrow from the Library of Things. 

Government figures estimate that five million tonnes of plastic is used in the UK every year, nearly half of which is packaging. You can reduce the amount of packaging you use by bringing a reusable container to Camden Refill Station to fill up on household cleaning and body care products.

More actions, initiatives and information

Repair your belongings

Reduce your waste and reuse and repair what you have, check out advice from the North London Waste Authority and London Recycles: Reduce waste, reuse and repair in North London - Londoner's guide to repair - NLWA's guide to second hand items.

Share lend and borrow

Share, lend and borrow rather than buy items that you only need occasionally: Streetbank - Nextdoor - Freecycle.

Donate

Some charities will collect good quality reuseable furniture and items for free: British Heart Foundation - Sue Ryder

Repair and rethink electronics

Attend a local community repair event and learn how to repair broken electronics, and rethink how we consume them in the first place: The Restart Project - Fixing Factory

Repair and recycle electrical items

Find a London business to repair your broken devices and how to how to recycle electrical items in Camden: NLWA’s Electrical Repair Map - Free Large electrical item collection  - Recycle small electrical and electronic items

Refill 

Find more places to Refill - shop, eat and drink with less waste. Refill London - Chalton Street Circular Economy Market

Sell or recycle textiles

Good quality clothing or shoes could be sold online, given away or donated to charity. You can also recycle clothes, shoes and textiles in Camden. NLWA's Guide to clothes - Recycle clothes, shoes and textiles

Reuseable nappies

If you’re a parent you can get a free £54 voucher for real nappies: Real Nappies for London voucher

Camden Recycling Rewards

Earn rewards for you and your community by reducing, reusing and recycling more. Camden Recycling Rewards

Reuse and recycling centres

If an item has come to the end of its life, it can be recycled at your nearest reuse and recycling centre. Reuse and recycling centres - What else can I recycle 

Check your private waste collectors

There are other ways to reuse and recycle. Private waste collectors can be used, but you have a legal responsibility to check beforehand that they are a licensed waste carrier and will make sure that your waste is dealt with safely and legally. LoveJunk online marketplace - TippTapp

Composting

For Composting information visit our garden waste page

Paint reuse

You can donate or collect good quality reusable paints at Regis Road Reuse and Recycling Centre. Leave paint in the designated area when you visit or speak to a member of staff for assistance. Find out more about the paint reuse scheme including what paints you can donate and collect. 

Reduce your household energy costs

It is possible to save energy and reduce your household energy costs by making some small changes to your behaviour at home. You can find out more about the support on offer to help you to do this and see our list of low cost and no cost tips on our energy saving tips page.

The facts

Heating and powering buildings causes 90% of carbon dioxide emissions in Camden and homes account for 26% of all borough wide direct carbon emissions. Improving the energy efficiency of your home will save energy, reduce your environmental impact, and save you money on your energy bills. 

There are a range of grants available to make improving the energy efficiency of your home easier and more affordable. This includes the Green Homes Grant, Camden’s Housing Renewal Assistance Policy and the Camden Climate Fund.

High energy prices means that 10% of Camden residents cannot afford to heat their homes to an adequate temperature. If you are struggling to pay your energy bills, call the Green Camden Helpline for free. You’ll receive advice and tips to help you keep well and warm in your home. Our friendly advisors can check eligibility for any grants, services, or discounts on your utility bills. They can also give advice on what to do if you are in fuel debt.

More actions, initiatives and information

• Visit the Energy Saving Trust for practical advice on how to reduce energy use at home
• Improve your home's insulation or consider a comprehensive energy efficiency retrofit of your home with the support of ECOFurb's Low Carbon Homes Service
• Apply to the Camden Climate Fund to help meet the costs of insulating your home or installing low carbon heating
• Replace your gas heating system with an electric air source heat pump – this requires investment, but will be a significant step to a 'net-zero' home - Air source heat pump - Guidance
• Apply for the Government's upcoming Boiler Upgrade Scheme (BUS) and receive up to £5,000 to install a heat pump (applications open April 2022)

Take climate action in your community

Community climate action is a great way for you to get involved in tackling the climate crisis. There is plenty of climate action taking place in Camden which you can get involved in. For some inspiration check out the Camden Climate Action E-Brochure.

Join one of the following climate action groups based in Camden

• Camden Think and Do offers people in Camden the chance to develop projects tackling the climate and ecological crisis
• Transition Kentish Town is part of a movement of communities coming together to re-imagine and rebuild our world
• Camden Greenpeace is a friendly group of Greenpeace activists who meet in Camden
• Camden Friends of the Earth campaigns for solutions to environmental problems to create a better, greener Camden. They run awareness stalls at local festivals, community fairs and markets, organise events and film screenings, and campaign online
• Climate Emergency Camden is a coalition of local groups and residents who aim to inspire bold, transformative borough-wide action in response to the climate and ecological breakdown
• Camden Air Action is an alliance of local people and groups working together to raise awareness about air pollution, and to take constructive practical action on air quality in Camden
• Power up North London (PUNL) is a non-profit community organisation that enables local people to tackle climate change by delivering renewable energy projects
• Camden Cyclists is a local branch of London Cycling Campaign, it works towards making sure that everyone who cycles, or wants to cycle, has a voice in Greater London
• VEGBOX is a community-led organic vegetable box scheme empowering Camden's community to connect with great-tasting organic veg and fruit sourced from small-scale farms near London.

If you are a community group focussing on climate action who is not included above, please contact greencamden@camden.gov.uk.