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Welcome to our January newsletter containing all the latest news and updates from across West Sussex.
 From Monday 12 February you will need to book a slot to visit all of our Recycling Centres.
The Book to Recycle system has been in place at a number of sites since 2021 and over 1.8 million visits have been booked via the system. A recent review showed that most sites with the scheme were able to recycle more materials, reducing the overall amount of waste being processed and making the sites more efficient.
The scheme is now being extended to Billingshurst, Burgess Hill, East Grinstead, Midhurst, and Chichester Recycling Centres.
Booking a slot is easy, and can be done on the day you want to visit, or up to 14 days in advance.
 Work is now well underway to make many of our buildings more environmentally friendly and energy efficient.
Burning fossil fuels, such as gas or oil, to heat our buildings is a major source of our carbon emissions. To reduce these emissions, we need to replace fossil fuel heating systems with low carbon alternatives and improve the energy efficiency of each building to minimise heat demand.
We’ve updated our website to include more information about this project and why it’s taking place.
 Our Book-a-Bus service has expanded with the introduction of the 96 Flex serving the northwest area of Chichester up to Midhurst. To celebrate the expansion into the new 96 zone, residents travelling via any of the Book-a-Bus services can travel for free during the whole month of February.
Outside of the free February travel offer, residents in this new zone can enjoy the on-demand bus service for the same price as a standard bus fare (currently capped at £2 per single trip until the end of December 2024 on most bus routes).
Book-a-Bus is aimed at those living or working in the county’s rural areas with limited or no traditional bus service. Journeys are pre-bookable, and all vehicles are fully accessible with low floor access, making it easier to board for those with mobility issues or those using a wheelchair.
Book-a-Bus is part of our Bus Service Improvement Plan; it provides continued access to crucial services, including healthcare, education, shops, leisure facilities, and onward rail and bus services.
Remember! Disabled or state pension-age residents travel free on buses with a concessionary pass. Make sure you apply if you are eligible.
 We’re members of the Sussex Air partnership and are supporting Clean Air night, which takes place this Wednesday, January 24.
Pressures on household finances may have tempted more people towards burning wood in the belief that it’s cheaper or more environmentally friendly. But, did you know that burning wood releases more harmful carbon emissions than oil or gas?
New evidence shows that it actually:
- Harms your wallet: wood burning is almost always more expensive than other forms of heating.
- Harms your health: lighting fires in our homes is the largest source of harmful small particulate matter air pollution in the UK.
- Harms the planet: wood burning creates more harmful CO2 emissions compared to other forms of heating and we cannot reproduce trees fast enough to offset the CO2 emitted by burning wood.
Find out your personal air pollution footprint compared to the UK national average by using this clean air calculator. For details on how we’re working to improve air quality across the county visit our website.
If you are thinking of purchasing a new stove, do ensure it is Defra approved. Under the Clean Air Act 1993 all Defra approved stoves have to pass tests to confirm that they are capable of burning an authorised coal or other solid fuel, but can also cleanly burn unauthorised fuels such as wood.
Surprised by what you learned? Please do share it with your friends and family to help protect your health and the planet.
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Read our advice and information on staying safe and well during the colder winter months.
- Funding is still available for low-income households without gas central heating through the Warmer Homes programme.
- Join Let's Go! Net Zero for an event on 28 February designed for manufacturing businesses in West Sussex! You can take a tour of the Adelphi Group of Companies' manufacturing site and hear from a panel of experienced manufacturing businesses. Book your space here.
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The National Park’s popular Dark Skies Festival returns in February. Highlights include stargazing sessions, guided walks through the solar system, star parties, nocturnal wildlife, and celestial storytelling. Learn more here and find out about the exciting events coming up!
If you have any queries, want to share or celebrate local climate action, please email us: climatechange@westsussex.gov.uk.
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