 Welcome to this latest edition of the climate action newsletter - a bumper 'Active August' edition to be exact!
Summer has arrived and there's no better time to get out and enjoy what Waltham Forest has to offer, and we want to support everyone to be active and get walking and cycling wherever they can. We have a really extensive range of events and activities to help everyone do just that so please take a moment to check out what's on offer.
And speaking of cycling, I'm delighted to announce that our annual Tour de Waltham Forest is once again returning this autumn. One of the highlights of the year, the Tour takes place at Lloyd Park on 28 September and everyone is welcome.
Many of you will also know that we've been focusing on our emerging plans for nature recovery in the borough recently, with a show of support for swifts.
Swifts are charismatic and an iconic shape in our skies, but they are a threatened summer visitor. We want to increase nesting opportunities for swifts and are looking at what we can do to increase the number of swift bricks installed into future housing developments and even during smaller renovations and extensions.
Don’t forget its currently the Butterfly Conservations ‘Big Butterfly Count’ which runs up to 10 August. See details below on how you can get involved.
I'm also happy to say that we are able to count our recent climate action achievements in tonnages. Three quarters of a tonne's worth of household items were repaired, reused, repurposed or rehomed during our recent Reuse and Repair Fair at Lea Bridge Library. What's more, through our collections, we are now recycling an amazing 135 tonnes of food waste every single week. These are huge achievements by our residents - thank you!
Read on for all this and much, much more.
All the best,
Cllr Clyde Loakes MBE, Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member For Climate and Air Quality
 A date for your diaries! Our hugely popular Tour de Waltham Forest family cycling day is returning on Sunday 28 September in Lloyd Park, E17. Hundreds of people of all ages and abilities have enjoyed Tour de Waltham Forest over the last few years and 2025’s event promises to be just as fun, with a range of activities taking place, alongside cycle rides through the borough. We’ll be announcing this year’s routes in the coming weeks and participants can sign up for free in the link below.
Sign up to the Walking and Cycling Newsletter by dropping us an email for updates and to get priority booking.
 Butterfly Conservation's Big Butterfly Count runs until 10 August and is a simple, free activity for families to enjoy together. What's more, counting the wildlife on your doorstep is vital conservation work and will help us get a clearer picture of how butterflies are doing here in Waltham Forest and on a national level.
Spend 15 minutes in any outdoor space counting butterflies and day-flying moths, then log your sightings to help scientists track different species. It's a fun way to connect with nature and support wildlife conservation at the same time!
 Swifts are quickly becoming an endangered species in the UK, due to a decline in habitats and insect populations. That's why we are pressing on with ambitious plans to create and enhance nesting opportunities for swifts to ensure that this iconic, yet rapidly decreasing bird has a bright future in our borough.
 It's almost Active August, which means its a great time to dust off your cycle and enjoy our borough by bike. We have so many options for residents who need a helping hand to get going, including our community cycle loan scheme, which gives you the chance to borrow bikes, cargo bikes and other cycles for 30 days.
And if a gentle stroll is more your thing we have something for everyone. Ace Community Sport Disability Fun Walks are groups for children and adults with disabilities, which take place on Sundays between 12pm and 2pm at a range of locations across the borough.
 First time visitors to our local Library of Things (LoT) can get a great discount on borrowing a wide range of useful items – like this trolley, July’s Thing of the Month! Based at Leytonstone Library, the LoT helps you save money and reduce waste by affordably renting out useful things like drills, sound systems, sewing machines, garden tools, and more.
Share the code LTLOT15 for 15 per cent off first rentals!
 Thanks to our ongoing commitment to climate action and net zero, we've recorded a sharp drop in carbon emissions we are producing as a council.
In the five-year period since 2019, the council's emissions as an organisation have fallen by almost 30 percent. In the last year alone (2023 to 24) there was a 15 per cent drop, the largest annual decrease since measurements began in Waltham Forest.
 The latest in our series of Reuse and Repair Fairs took place earlier this month at Lea Bridge Library and thanks to the hard work of local people and organisations was another massive success. This time round, we managed to stop an astonishing two thirds of a tonne of household items from becoming waste - a huge achievement by everyone participating!
Make sure you have Saturday 20 September (1pm to 5pm) in your diaries - our next Reuse and Repair Fair takes place on that day at George Tomlinson School, Harrington Rd, E11 4QN. See you there!
 Our Holiday Activity and Food programme (aka HAF) offers families in receipt of benefit-related free school meals exciting activities over the summer holidays – for free.
One of these is an Eco Adventure for eight to 12 year-olds, taking place at the Hive, our incredible environmental space in Epping Forest. You can use four of your eight HAF days at an Eco Adventure week in August, learning a range of outdoor activities like shelter-building and campfire cooking.
There are 44 different HAF activities for you to choose from. Check if your child is eligible and browse the options via the link below.
 Did you know you can get serious savings on the repair of household electrical items thanks to our ongoing Repair Voucher scheme?
Participating high street businesses around the borough are accepting 50 per cent off the cost of repairs (up to a maximum of £50 saved per repair), on a huge range of everyday electrical items... from toasters and TVs to musical instruments, games consoles, lamps, and much more.
New businesses have been added to the initiative, so it’s now even easier to use your voucher.
 In April, the council announced its emerging nature recovery programme to support the borough’s wildlife and biodiversity thrive long into the future.
Now, this vision is taking shape with a range of initiatives underway, including Waltham Forest ‘Wildways’ - an ambitious £75,000 project to support our precious pollinators and improve green spaces in the borough.
 Did you know we are recycling an astonishing 135 tonnes of food waste each week? That's because of the continued work of local residents across the borough and we want to say a huge 'thank you' for your continued efforts to recycle.
Find out more about boosting your recycling online in the link below, where we have plenty of advice about reducing what you are throwing away in your black bin.
 We want to make easy for residents to recycle as much as possible - which is why we have a range of ways of sustainably disposing of some items that are usually more difficult to sustainably dispose of.
SEVEN of our libraries are now offering drop-off points for blister pack (plastic and foil packets for pills and medicine) recycling. Look out for them in Leytonstone, Walthamstow, Chingford, Hale End, Leyton, Wood Street and Lea Bridge Libraries.
Printer cartridges, another tricky item, can be recycled as part of usual household waste collections. Simply place your used cartridges in a plastic carrier bag and present them on top of your green bin on collection day. They can also be dropped off at one of our Reuse and Recycling Centres.
 We are backing the London Fire Brigade's campaign asking residents to take extra care in public open spaces.
Common ways that grass fires start are through portable barbecues and discarded cigarettes. Glass bottles that have been left on grass can focus the sun’s rays like a magnifying glass and cause a devastating blaze.
The advice is don’t barbecue in parks or on other open land, and make sure rubbish, glass and cigarettes are disposed of properly.
 Does a meditative sound bath, in the heart of the beautiful Epping Forest appeal to you? What about a bat-themed evening of nocturnal wonders? Or even a woodland wellbeing walk?
These are just a few of the activities coming up at the Hive - the council's outdoor education centre, based in Epping Forest. Summer is in full swing, the bees are busy doing their thing and the weather is what it is! Let's try and get outside and take in our surroundings, breathe and let the summer holidays begin. Get further event info, news and what's on in August for the Hive in the link below.
 We are aware that there is currently a difficult outbreak of duckweed affecting the waterways at Lloyd Park in Walthamstow and we are working on a water treatment programme to address this. We are asking for patience from residents as the treatment takes a period of time to see results as duckweed grows incredibly fast.
Visitors to Lloyd Park can do their part by putting all litter in the bins, feeding the ducks responsibly (we have signs at the duck feeding area), and not releasing fish and pets into the water - as these actions increase nutrient levels in the moat which increases and encourages the duck weed to grow.
 We are partnering with Real Nappies for London to offer new parents in the borough support to choose sustainable when it comes to buying nappies,
If you are an expectant parent, a parent or a foster carer living in the borough with a baby under 18 months, or under the age of five with a disability requiring nappies, you are eligible to apply for a £70 nappy voucher. Your voucher can assist with the upfront cost of buying reusable nappies or contribute to a paid-for washable nappy laundry service.
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