Broxtowe Borough Council make significant strides towards becoming carbon neutral

The lorries are part of a fleet of council vehicles which now run on hydrotreated vegetable oil, a renewable fossil-free biofuel that has helped cut exhaust emissions by 95 per cent in the space of a year.

Emissions from all of the Council’s activities have been slashed by nearly 60 per cent since it declared a climate change emergency in 2019 and committed to its own operations becoming carbon neutral by 2027.

Councillors have now renewed their commitment to reducing the use of fossil fuels to as close to zero as possible by adopting a revised Carbon Management Action Plan covering the next 12 months.

The Plan is part of a long-term pledge to make the Council carbon neutral by the end of 2027 that was first adopted in July 2019.

Councillor Helen E Skinner, the Council’s Portfolio Holder for Environment and Climate Change, said: “Everyone can play a part in reducing the use of fossil fuels and cutting carbon emissions. It’s good for the environment across the Borough   and it will help us move to a cleaner, renewable future.

“The Council’s team has worked incredibly hard to look at our activities every year and identify ways in which we can take detailed action across all of our operations to cut carbon emissions.

“Switching our vehicle fleet to vegetable oil instead of diesel is just one example of how we’ve put those plans into action. The progress we’ve made is plain to see in a 57% reduction in the Council’s overall emissions since 2018/19.”

She added: “Though our total carbon footprint fell from 2,343 tonnes in 2023-24 to 1,620 tonnes last year, we will continue to examine every opportunity to reduce our emissions still further, and to highlight ways that people across the Borough can take their own steps to help tackle climate change.”

Broxtowe Borough Council reviews its Carbon Management Action Plan every year to take into account changes in the way it works and new opportunities to make progress. Over the next 12 months, it will focus on areas such as:
•    Onsite renewable energy generation such as solar panels on office buildings.
•    Improving the energy efficiency of its social housing through retrofit methods including external wall insulation.
•    Helping Council staff explore options for sustainable travel to and from work.
•    Identifying ways to reduce the carbon and environmental impact of Council events.

It will also look at the carbon impact of Council events.

Broxtowe Borough Council has been taking long-term action to improve the local environment, having planted more than 138,000 trees since 2008 under a programme that has involved residents, community groups and local schools .

It has also improved the energy efficiency of homes in Eastwood by retrofitting properties on Princes Street with external wall insulation through a £1 million government-funded programme, while a strategy adopted last year is paving the way for more electric vehicle charging points across the Borough.

Councillor Skinner added: “As a Council, we are making real inroads into achieving our carbon neutral goal by the end of 2027. Alongside our own progress, we want to support residents and businesses to do the same.”

Residents in the Borough can find out more about measures they can take to reduce their own environmental impact through the Council’s own Green Rewards scheme, which outlines easy-to-adopt changes they can make in their own lifestyle and in return offers them the chance to win shopping vouchers.

Further advice on reducing your carbon footprint is also available for schools, businesses and communities on the Broxtowe Borough Council website.