Hello and welcome to our May Environment and Climate Newsletter!
Welcome to the May edition of our newsletter.
This month, we’re shining a light on exciting initiatives driving nature recovery, climate action, and sustainable travel across Cumbria.
Have your say in shaping local nature priorities through the newly launched Cumbria Local Nature Recovery Strategy (LNRS) survey a vital opportunity to guide efforts where they’re needed most.
We’re also thrilled to announce the launch of the Travel Actively website, packed with tips and resources to help you get moving in ways that are good for your wallet, your wellbeing, and the planet. Whether you’re walking, wheeling, or cycling, small changes can make a big impact. Plus, our new Wheels for Hire E-Bike service is here to help you travel more sustainably every day.
Meanwhile, improving river water quality remains a top priority, as we continue working to protect Cumbria’s precious freshwater habitats.
With World Environment Day on the horizon (5 June), we’re reminded that local action plays a powerful role in global change. Let’s keep building a greener, healthier future—together.
With kindest regards
Bob Kelly
Executive Member for Cumberland Policy and Regulatory Services
Image is of Cumberland Councillor Bob Kelly, Executive Member for Cumberland Policy and Regulatory Services
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 We are making our waste and recycling collections fairer and more efficient. We are also making it easier for you to recycle.
Garden waste collections: all areas in Cumberland
- Continuing from March, if you have a garden waste bin you will still get one bin collected for free but any additional bins will have a collection charge.
- There will be a yearly charge of £40 for each extra garden waste bin.
- Collections are fortnightly between March and November.
- Residents will be able to make a payment for extra bins on our website or by contacting our customer contact team
Waste and recycling collections: former Allerdale area
- We want to make it easier for you to recycle and also make sure our services are consistent.
- Your waste collection is changing from every week to every two weeks, from this May.
- Your glass, cans, tins and plastics recycling will remain the same and will continue being collected every two weeks.
- Your cardboard and paper recycling will continue to be collected every four weeks but will increase to every two weeks from September 2025.
- Householders will be given the opportunity to request a free replacement 180 litre bin (most residents have a 120 litre bin). Requests can be made on our website or by contacting our customer contact team.
Other changes to your collections:
From September 2025:
- There will be updated collection dates in Allerdale, Carlisle and Copeland.
Further information about your bin collections
Image reads 'Waste matters'
Westmorland and Furness Council has today launched a consultation asking for feedback on the draft Cumbria Local Nature Recovery Strategy (LNRS) which will shape the future of nature recovery across Cumbria.
The Cumbria LNRS is a collaboratively developed strategy which will provide priorities for restoring biodiversity by bringing together existing environmental data, established strategies, and national guidance. Crucially, it will also incorporate valuable local knowledge and expertise to ensure that actions taken for nature recovery deliver the greatest possible positive impact for Cumbrias and its unique environment.
The draft LNRS identifies key ‘priorities’ for nature recovery within the county, alongside ‘potential measures’ that can be implemented to achieve these goals. Furthermore, the strategy highlights the geographical areas within Cumbria that are best suited for these targeted interventions.
Westmorland and Furness Council and the Supporting Authorities (Cumberland Council, Lake District National Park Authority, Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority and Natural England) are now inviting residents, landowners, businesses, community groups, and anyone with an interest in nature recovery to have their say. Feedback will be instrumental in shaping the final Cumbria Local Nature Recovery Strategy.
The consultation can be completed online and will be open for six weeks - closing Sunday 22 June 2025.
Image is of a red squirrel in Cumbria
 On 1 May the prestigious Grosvenor Hotel in London hosted the National Awards for Excellence in Recycling and Waste Management. Barbara Jones, Cumberland Council’s Waste Service Lead for the hosted waste team, was highly commended in the ‘Local Authority Individual or Team of the Year’ category for her work over many years supporting others working in waste management. As the only individual shortlisted in this category she did exceptionally well against strong national competition to be commended for this award. The winners were the WEERM Group (an officer-led waste education network of 80+ members from 49 different councils and contractors which meet 3 – 4 times per year to share best practice to enhance waste education across the UK, supported by East London Waste Authority).
Also highly commended was Hayley Slack, Community Education and Liaison Officer for Biffa Cumbria (who process the council’s collected waste). Like Barbara, Hayley was the only ‘highly commended’ applicant in her category of awards - namely the ‘Best Newcomer of the Year’. Hayley was commended for her work on a county-wide baa-ttery recycling campaign featuring a local sheep and for a pioneering childrens’ book she’s written about recycling – the book will be made from recycled coffee cups. The winning award went to Ella Gorman from Zero Waste Scotland.
Well done to everyone who entered and was shortlisted.
Image is of some Cumberland Council / Biffa staff members who attended the National Awards for Excellence in Recycling and Waste Management
 Four early year settings in Cumberland now have a ‘worm farm’ in their outdoor areas, due to a partnership between the Early Years Team, Cumbria Action for Sustainability and The Urban Worm. These worm farms, or wormeries, are made from second hand wheelie bins so are space saving and cost effective.
Wormeries provide a fantastic opportunity for the children to learn about composting while caring for worms. Worm manure is full of beneficial microorganisms that support healthy plant growth, so will be used to help the nursery children to grow plants and vegetables.
Worms eat surplus cardboard, kitchen waste and other natural materials so the children will be able to help the worms to ‘recycle’ waste products into nutritious food for the garden. The children are excited to learn about caring for their worms, recycling waste, feeding their gardens and caring for the planet.
With thanks to CAFS and Cumberland Council for jointly funding the project, to Anna de la Vega from Urban Worm, and for the children and adults from Gosforth Nursery, PJs Nursery, and Cleator Moor and Frizington Maintained Nursery Schools for taking part.
Image is of some primary school children setting up their worm farm
 Recently our team has been hard at work carrying out our annual verge litter pick — a vital operation to keep our local highways clean, safe, and environmentally friendly.
Covering an impressive 90 miles of highway verges, the team collected a staggering 3,780kg of litter, filling 1,600 black bags in the process. Among the more unusual finds were 16 car tyres, highlighting the ongoing challenge of waste being improperly discarded along our roads.
The clean-up covered a wide stretch of key routes across the region, including:
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A689: Linstock Roundabout to Brampton Roundabout (including Carlisle Road to the 30mph zone)
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A689: Linstock Roundabout to Junction 44 Roundabout
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A7: Junction 44 Roundabout to Longtown and up to the Scottish Border
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A6071: Longtown to Brampton and Longtown to Gretna
- Gretna to Hespin Wood Tip
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A595: Newby West Roundabout to Thursby Roundabout
- Kingmoor Bridge Roundabout to Rockcliffe
- Rockcliffe to Hespin Wood Road Ends
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A6: Junction 42 to Scalesceugh Gardens
This annual effort not only improves the appearance of our roadsides but also helps protect local wildlife and preserves the natural beauty of our surroundings.
A huge thank you to everyone involved in making this year's litter pick a success. Let’s continue working together to keep our community clean and litter-free!
Image is of Cumberland Council highways staff carrying out the annual verge litter pick
 Since May 2024, primary schools across Cumberland have been rescuing batteries from their bins as part of the ‘Baa-ttery Campaign’ - named because Cumbria throws away 3.2 million batteries each year, equal to the weight of 3,650 Herdwick Sheep!
Over 2000kg of batteries were collected by 70% of schools between May and December — an amazing effort to help prevent dangerous battery fires
Winning Cumberland Schools:
- 1st place - Waberthwaite C of E School, Millom
- 2nd place - Bewcastle School, Carlisle
- 3rd place - Lowca Community School, Whitehaven
Let's keep batteries out of bins and our communities safe!
Image is of some primary school children from Waberthwaite C of E school with Cllr Denise Rollo, Judith Bradshaw and their school teacher
The Rebuild Site CIC has just released its 2024 Impact Report, highlighting a record-breaking year. Over 8,000 tonnes of surplus construction materials have been diverted from going to waste so far—saving 9,600 tonnes of embodied carbon and supporting more than 20,000 people through providing free materials to community projects and workshops.
Image is of an infographic summarising the report
 Fibrus’ new engagement merchandise showcases their dedication to sustainability through thoughtfully selected eco-friendly alternatives.
From plantable pencils that blossom into Forget-me-nots, to renewable bamboo coasters and recycled paper notebooks they are committed to lowering their environmental impact wherever they can.
Readers can pick up some merchandise from the Fibrus team at shows around the County over the summer including:
- Ulverston & North Lonsdale – 30 July 2025
- Appleby – 14 August 2025
- Blackcombe (Bootle, Millom) – 25 August 2025
- Ennerdale – 27 August 2025
- Loweswater – 7 September 2025
- Eskdale – 27 September 2025
- Alston – date to be confirmed
To find out more about the work of Fibrus’ Hyperfast GB team who are bringing gigabit speed broadband to premises across Cumbria via the Project Gigabit programme, visit their website Home - Hyperfast GB.
Image is of the Fibrus hyperfast merch
 We were proud to support The Big Switch Off, which took place on Monday 28 April in Crow Park, Keswick. This collaborative event, organised by Friends of the Lake District in partnership with The National Trust, Keswick Town Council, Keswick Tourism Association, and the Cockermouth Astronomical Society, aimed to highlight the wonders of the night sky while promoting energy conservation.
From 9:30pm until midnight, residents and businesses were encouraged to switch off their lights and take part in an evening of stargazing. Approximately 70 streetlights were turned off overnight in key areas including Lake Road, Hope Park, Crow Park, The Headlands, and the Lake Road car park.
The temporary blackout impacted residents in The Heads, The Headlands, and Elliot Park, as well as visitors using the Lake Road car park. The event successfully drew attention to the importance of dark skies and reducing light pollution.
Image is a nightscape taken from The Big Switch Off event in Keswick
We’re pleased to share that two new battery-powered cylinder mowers have recently been added to our equipment fleet at Carlisle Crematorium. These machines replace the aging petrol mowers, which had become increasingly unreliable.
The new mowers are quieter, cleaner, and more efficient, helping maintain the main lawns to a high standard while preserving the peaceful atmosphere of the crematorium grounds. Their near-silent operation allows the team to carry out work with minimal disruption to visitors.
These mowers are the latest addition to our growing range of battery-powered tools used across our cemeteries and parks, which already includes strimmers, hedge cutters, chainsaws, and leaf blowers.
Battery equipment offers many benefits to our gardeners, including reduced exposure to noise, fumes, vibration, and flammable fuels—making their work safer, more comfortable, and environmentally friendly
Image is of Cumberland Council staff member using the new battery-powered cylinder mowers at Carlisle Crematorium
 A huge thank you and well done to all staff involved in the successful launch of the new Travel Actively Cumbria website! The platform, launched at events in Carlisle and Barrow on 2 April, is designed to help residents walk, wheel, or cycle more often for everyday journeys.
Developed in partnership by Cumberland Council, Westmorland and Furness Council, and Active Cumbria, the website offers a wealth of resources—from journey planning tools to inspiring local stories and details of upcoming events.
Switching short car journeys for active travel can boost health, reduce environmental impact, and improve wellbeing. This initiative is a key step towards the goal of making half of all trips in Cumbria’s towns and city active by 2030.
If you haven’t already, please take a look at the website and share the link with family and friends—there are some really inspiring stories, and it’s well worth a visit! www.travelactively.co.uk
Image is of some of the staff from Cumberland Council, who helped with the preparation of the website and the launch event - thank you to all concerned.
 We’re excited to invite residents from Carlisle to apply now to Wheels for Hire to rent an e-bike for just £10 per month for a 6 month trial period. The application form can be accessed by visiting the website.
This project is brought to you by Active Cumbria’s Travel Actively Programme, which supports people in getting around more sustainably through walking, wheeling, and cycling for everyday journeys. The programme is funded by Active Travel England who have identified the following priority groups:
- Aged 60 or over
- Living with a long-term health condition or disability
- From lower-income communities
- From ethnically diverse backgrounds
- Referred by an organisation or health provider
As a trusted local organisation, your support in sharing this opportunity with your community members can make a huge difference. Whether it’s by making referrals or helping people complete the application, we’d love your involvement.
Due to high demand and limited bikes, we encourage early applications. If someone isn’t successful right away, they’ll be added to our waiting list for the next round. We reserve the right to close applications early if there is a high volume of candidates.
If you would like more information prior to application please do not hesitate to contact us:
To learn more email us at travelactively@cumberland.gov.uk or call Chris 07721629860 or Lynsey 07721612889 for an informal chat
Image reads 'Wheels for hire'
 United Utilities are taking action to improve waterways in your area.
They’ve accelerated investment across Cumbria, from Cartmel to Cargo, to build the infrastructure we need right now - and for the future.
In Cumbria, United Utilities will be investing more than £900 million to reduce spills from 149 storm overflows and improving 219 kilometres of rivers. This includes a £200 million plan for Windermere to tackle all six of the storm overflows, creating extra storage capacity, which will reduce spills down to 10 or less per year.
They are rolling out new solutions across the county to increase the treatment and storage capacity, limiting the chances of the treatment works becoming overwhelmed during periods of heavy rainfall and reducing the number of times the storm overflows operate. These solutions form part of their accelerated programme of works which will help to reduce storm overflow spills by 60% over the decade to 2030.
Doing your bit for Cumbria
Did you know you can also help improve river water quality too? By making small changes to your daily habits, you can help to protect your home, local community and the environment.
- Only flush the 3Ps down your loo – that’s Pee, Poo and (toilet) Paper
- Put all wet wipes, period products and bathroom rubbish in the bin.
Please also remember to scrape cooled cooking oils, fats and any leftover food waste into the bin. Cooking fats and oils can cause blockages in pipes, drains and the sewer network which can lead to sewer flooding in homes and the environment.
Thank you for your help in protecting the environment.
To find out more about United Utilities’ investment plans to improve the North West’s rivers click the link below.
United Utilities - Better Rivers
Image is of a child looking into a bin with a speech bubble that says 'Bin wipes, don't flush them'
 The Waste Reduction team recently attended the seven launch events for Cumberland Councils’ Family Hubs. From lovely days in Longtown to monsoons in Millom, the public came out in force to find out information and generally have a great time.
Amongst the face painting and treasure hunts, various teams from the council gave out advice on a whole host of subjects.
The Waste Reduction team gave out information on how to reduce food waste in the home, as the average family could be wasting around £80 per month. The team gave out advice and helpful items to help people to plan meals, get the correct portion sizes and store food items properly.
The team talked to almost 350 people over the course of the events.
A whole host of useful information on reducing food waste can be found on the www.lovefoodhatewaste.com website
Image is of an activity the Waste Reduction team were running at one of the Family Hub open days
 The University of Cumbria’s Dr David F. Murphy, Associate Professor of Sustainability and Collaborative Leadership, and postgraduate researcher Joanna Stanberry are working with the Office of the Lord Lieutenant of Cumbria, Cumbria Development Education Centre (CDEC) and Thinking Philanthropy to promote more sustainable livelihoods and enhance community life across Cumbria.
The pair’s research features in the new University of Cumbria podcast series, ‘Research Spotlight at Cumbria’.
Listen here: https://open.spotify.com/episode/673MN5nVaXsJTbcWlvIlm2?si=55635d8279eb486e
Alternatively, the full series is available: https://news.cumbria.ac.uk/news/powerful-research-in-pioneering-podcasts.
The podcasts have been released as the University of Cumbria prepares to hold its summer 2025 graduations at Carlisle Cathedral on 15-17 July. An estimated 5,000 visitors are expected in Carlisle over the three days.
With the city centre regeneration projects progressing, local businesses and organisations are encouraged to support the university celebrations and extend a warm welcome to graduands and guests, many of whom live, work or study across the area.
Image is of some University of Cumbria students on their graduation day
 World Environment Day happens every year on 5 June, it is the biggest international day for the environment. Led by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) since 1973 the day brings together millions of people across the globe in a shared mission to safeguard and restore our planet, empowering governments, businesses, communities and individuals to drive sustainable change.
This year the theme is Beat Plastic Pollution.
Here are a few things you can do to reduce your own plastic consumption at home, support World Environment Day on 5 June and beyond and keep more of your pennies in your pocket. Why not trial one of the below actions?
- Say goodbye to single use plastic bottles by switching to a reusable water bottle. More and more places have joined the national Refill scheme and offer free refills of your water bottle.
- Going for a picnic this summer? Take your own reusable plates, cups and cutlery with you – lets ditch the disposables.
- Take a reusable shopping bag with you when you go shopping (preferably cloth). Even the clothing shops now ask if you need a bag. Say ‘no’ and use your own.
- See if you can get your milk delivered in glass bottles. Glass can be infinitely recycled and always comes back looking as new.
- Zero Waste shops are becoming more popular. Turn up with your own jar or container and you can get a fill up of loose unpackaged goods which reduces waste and may save you money too.
Once you get into the habit of reusing and reducing plastic waste it soon becomes second nature so pass on the message to your friends and family too.
Image is of the World Environment Day logo
 Start with the Park is a transformative £2.6 million investment to enhance green spaces between St Cuthbert’s Garden Village and Carlisle city centre.
Work begins with the demolition of long-disused buildings—the former Aviary, Stores, and a small garage—identified as hotspots for anti-social behaviour. Their removal will boost visibility, safety, and the park’s appeal.
Funded by the Carlisle Town Deal, the project aims to rejuvenate Hammond’s Pond and improve health, wellbeing, and local infrastructure. Pre-demolition work has included asbestos surveys, utility re-routing, and tree clearance to open up views.
Demolition began in April, led by local firm Kirkaldy & Roe Ltd. Waste will be removed for recycling, and the site will be levelled, re-fenced, and secured.
The wider initiative will deliver upgraded play areas, a new skate park, enhanced paths, landscaping, improved links to Eden Valley Hospice, and new active travel routes to support the future 10,000-home SCGV development.
This project is part of an exciting wave of regeneration across Carlisle, backed by over £100 million in investment to unlock the city's full potential and bring more people into the vibrant heart of the city. Cumberland Council is working to create safer, greener, and more connected streets—enhancing pedestrian routes and active travel links to support this dynamic future.
Image is of some display swans at Hammond's Pond
More than 100 people from across Cumbria came together in Penrith on 6 March for the annual Zero Carbon Cumbria Summit. Delegates from community groups, local authorities, academia, and business gathered to reflect on progress, share challenges, and explore how we can achieve net zero by 2037.
There are still places available on Futureproof Cumbria’s (formerly CAfS) Unpacked: Recycling at Home webinar happening Wednesday 18 June 7-8:15pm on Zoom.
In this free webinar, discover why it really does matter what you throw away, which bins you use and the condition of your rubbish. Learn how recycling your waste correctly saves money, saves precious resources and reduces greenhouse gas emissions. We will look at the things we can all do to help us recycle at home, how you can help the recycling process and what the knock-on effects can be of not doing this. We will share top tips on how you can recycle in a way that means more of your waste can be processed and you won’t shut the recycling plant down!
Other webinars in the series that are coming up are:
Solar PV and Battery Storage - Monday 19th May 7-8.15pm
Electric vehicles – Monday 14th July 7-8.15pm
Image is of the Future Proof Cumbria logo
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