Climate change - news and funding

A month-by-month breakdown of the council's highlights on climate change in 2025.

January

Climate Change was a topic largely discussed at the Borough Council’s Youth Conference with nine secondary schools taking part and carbon footprints of everyday items and activities being compared, the students came away from this engaged and enthusiastic with their own thoughts and opinions being discussed and developed.

February

More than 700 solar panels were installed on the roof of Hinckley Leisure Centre, expected to save over 52,000 kg of Carbon Dioxide in the first year.

March

We have had several successful swap shops this past year for school uniform and coats, this supported residents in saving money and preventing items from ending up in landfills.

An estimated 800 coats were donated with approximately 400 coats rehomed by residents, and the remainder of the coats were passed on to our textile recycling partner the air ambulance, the Salvation Army Donation Centre in Hinckley and asylum seekers in Charnwood borough council area.

April

Biodiversity was a focus during spring with 25 bird boxes, 12 bat boxes and 5 bug hotels being installed in parks across Hinckley and Earl Shilton to provide essential shelter and nesting opportunities for wildlife helping them to survive and thrive.

May

May saw the launch of the Council Tenant Garden Competition which encouraged gardening and the wellbeing benefits of spending time outdoors and tending to a garden no matter how small, with several categories to enter it was a fun and friendly competition that benefits our environment.

June

The Great Big Green Week takes place between during the second week of June. This is the UK’s largest celebration that features communities working together to tackle climate change and to protect the environment. There were many events all around the UK during the Great Big Green Week, with a local event being a nature and art event at Bosworth Battlefield Heritage Centre & Country Park.

July

Hollycroft Park and Argent’s Mead in Hinckley were both awarded Green Flag awards to celebrate and acknowledge the highest possible environmental standards, excellent visitor facilities and high quality of maintenance.

August

The Snap Dragon Family Festival and Feast Hinckley were witness to the new Food Waste bins for council events that then get sent to turn the food waste into renewable energy, reducing carbon emissions and supporting a circular economy.

September

Recycle week happens in September with the theme of ‘Rescue Me – Recycle’ this campaign was highlighting the need to recycle more of the right things, more often. Read here to learn about the school competition and Recycle Champions that stemmed from this campaign.

October

Hinckley & Bosworth Borough Council brought back the ‘free tree scheme’ during October with 35,000 trees given away, including wild pear, crab apple, rowan and hornbeam, as well as hedging packs containing hawthorn and hazel. Six schools and one nursery school also took part in the scheme. The number of trees was equivalent to 1 tree per resident of Hinckley & Bosworth! The scheme will return in 2026.

November

In November, residents were invited to take part in Community Energy Roadshows aimed at helping households save energy, cut bills and shape a greener future. At the session there was an opportunity to meet local energy champions, get practical advice, learn about community-led energy projects and share your own ideas on improving the local environment.

December

A new government mandated, fully funded weekly food waste recycling service launches in March and will help residents recycle food waste and reduce their environmental impact. Around half of the councils in the UK already successfully run food waste collections, and all areas in England will have a collection shortly. From March, all borough residents will have food waste collected weekly on the same day as the usual waste and recycling collections. The food waste will be converted into renewable energy, reducing carbon emissions along with the amount of waste sent to landfill. Full details of the service are available on our website.

Last updated: 29/01/2026 10:18