Bank holiday recycling and waste collections: There will be no collections on Monday 25 August 2025. Collections will take place one day later than normal for the week until Saturday 30 August 2025.
Climate Change and Me
Welsh Government have set a target for a Net Zero Wales by 2050. The council is committed to working with our communities to achieve this.
Taking action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and mitigate climate change is the responsibility of all of us and we all can take action, no matter how small, that will make a difference.
The strategy for Net Zero is focused on 7 key themes:
- The energy we use: Electricity and Heat Generation
- The ways we move: Travel and transport
- The places we live: Residential buildings
- The industries and buildings we work in: Industry and Business
- The farms that feed us: Agriculture
- The land we live on: Land Use, Land Use Change and Forestry
- The things we own and de-own: Waste/Circular Economy
There are actions that we can all take under these themes to make that difference and work towards our Net Zero target.
As individuals it is important that we know and understand our own impact on greenhouse gas emissions so that we can identify and understand some actions that we can.
There are various tools available to help you calculate your carbon footprint.
Using the WWF Footprint Calculator you can answer a few simple questions to find out your footprint.
Carbon Literacy courses
The council is committed to supporting residents understand what they can do to help the County Borough achieve Net Zero and reduce our impact on climate change.
Carbon Literacy courses can be delivered to help residents gain this knowledge and understanding.
Energy use at home
Around 22% of carbon emissions come from the energy that we use to power and heat our homes.
Some of these emissions are direct – through burning gas in boilers – and some are indirect – the emissions released in generating and distributing electricity before it reaches our homes.
We can reduce emissions from our energy consumption in two main ways:
- Reduce the amount of energy that we use
- Reduce the emissions released in the generation of the energy that we use
There are simple steps that you can take to reduce your energy consumption in your home.
Some of these are free and some do cost money, but the good news is that there is support out there to help.
If you want to make changes to the energy efficiency of your home then the first place to start is by knowing the Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) rating for your home.
Your EPC will outline how energy efficient your home is and also suggest some changes that you can make to improve.
Free actions that will reduce your energy consumption:
- Turn the thermostat down a degree
- Close your curtains at night
- Unplug appliances when they’re not in use
- Only fill the kettle with the water you need
- Turn off lights when you’re not in a room and use natural light as much as you can
- Defrost food overnight rather than in the microwave
Lower-cost actions that will reduce your energy consumption:
- Switch to LED lightbulbs
- Loft insulation
- Draught proof floors, doors and windows
- Thermostatic radiator valves
- Smart thermostats
- Install smart meters to monitor your consumption
Bigger actions that will reduce your energy consumption:
- Energy efficient appliances
- Double/Triple glazed windows
- External/Internal and/or Cavity wall insulation
- Floor insulation
- Energy efficient radiators and boiler system
Further examples of things you can do can be found on the Energy Saving Trust website.
Generally, a lot of the emissions from the energy we use in our homes can be beyond our control. But there are still things that we can do to reduce emissions and take action to compel energy companies to do more to generate low carbon energy.
Smaller actions:
- Change your electricity tariff to a green energy tariff
- Change your gas tariff to a green energy tariff
Bigger actions:
- Change your heating system to an Air Source or Ground Source Heat Pump (ASHP/GSHP)
- Install Solar Panels
- Install Battery Storage
Some of these actions do cost money and can be disruptive in the short term – they will also not be suitable for every type of home.
There is support available to help residents understand what is right for them and make these changes.
Some of the support schemes available:
- ECO4 and ECO Flex
- Nest
- Great British Insulation Scheme
- Green Homes Wales
Travel and transport
We all need to travel – to work, to school, to the shops, for leisure.
How we choose to travel can have a big impact on our emissions footprint, as an individual and collectively in the county borough.
Reducing emissions from our travel will not only help with the Net Zero target but will also help to improve air quality and health for everyone.
A simple way to reduce your emissions, is to make less journeys by car, if you can.
Using Active Travel (walking and cycling) to make your journeys reduces your emissions and can help you stay fit and healthy.
If you have a longer journey to make or are unable to travel using Active Travel, taking public transport is another good way of reducing emissions from your journeys.
Traveline Cymru provides comprehensive information on bus times and routes across Wales.
If you need to travel by car you can reduce emissions by car sharing.
Electric Vehicles will reduce the emissions associated with using your vehicle.
The council are actively supporting the adoption of EVs through various initiatives and infrastructure developments aligned to an Electric Vehicle Strategy.
We understand the difficulties that can exist with charging EVs at home when there is no off-road parking or designated parking spaces.
We are investigating options and solutions to overcome these difficulties and are in discussions with other local authorities to understand best practices and identify what will be best for Bridgend County Borough.
Agriculture and food
The food that we eat and how certain foods are produced can have a big impact on our carbon emissions.
Beef production generates large quantities of greenhouse gas emissions. The land required to produce the feed for the cows and the production of that food generates lots of emissions and can also lead to deforestation, reducing nature’s ability to capture emissions through carbon sequestration.
This means that eating less beef and dairy can have a positive impact on your carbon footprint.
Schemes such as ‘Veganuary’ and ‘Meat-Free-Monday’ can be useful in helping you to alter your eating habits to reduce your emissions.
Supporting local producers reduces the transport miles of your food, reducing emissions, and also supports the local economy.
Another great way to reduce the transport miles of your food is to grow your own!
Getting an allotment and growing your own food is not just a great way to reduce emissions but also to learn new skills, make new friends and get outside.
There are a number of allotment sites across Bridgend County Borough.
Waste and the circular economy
Everything that we buy, and use has greenhouse gas emissions associated with it.
Emissions are generated in the production and distribution of things that we buy. Some things then also generate emissions as we use them – such as cars.
And finally, there are emissions generated when we dispose of them – this includes when things are recycled as recycling requires energy.
The idea of a circular economy is that we reduce our emissions by creating less ‘new’ things and using less of the world’s natural resources, consequently creating less waste.
A key aspect of this is the Waste Hierarchy:
- Best: Prevention/Reduce – keep things for longer; get things repaired; don’t buy disposable or single use items; buy less packaging; utilise libraries and hiring services
- Reuse – buy second hand or refurbished items; reuse ‘waste’ for other purposes such as yoghurt pots as plant pots; share unwanted items with friends or family; buy reusable items such as nappies
- Recycle – use the weekly recycling service; take old items to a charity shop or recycling centre; compost organic waste
- Recover – energy generated by combusting or composting waste
- Worst: Disposal - Landfill