UK’s Clean Capitals
Living in a clean environment means a lot more than just picking up your litter, as the effects of climate change are now becoming more apparent than ever.
We are experts in the field of utilities which means we understand how important it is that business electricity suppliers do their bit to help the environment, but the truth is that we all need to make an effort to keep our planet clean.
Many efforts have been made over the years to reduce pollution levels and improve aspects of the environment, but which areas of the UK are doing the most to be clean? To answer this question, we have looked at data from a range of factors - including CO2 emissions and expenditure on environmental services - and have put together a list of the cleanest areas in the UK.
With a cleanliness score of 7.84 /10, County Durham is crowned as the cleanest location in the UK
As well as helping you to compare business energy , we want to recognise those who are doing their bit for the environment. To find out which areas in the UK are the cleanest overall, we have looked at a range of factors, including CO2 emissions and expenditure on environmental services, and normalised the data to give each area a cleanliness score out of 10.
County Durham
7.84
Overall cleanliness score /10
Taking the top spot, with an overall cleanliness score of 7.84 /10, is County Durham. With a carbon emissions total of 4.0 tCO2e per capita, it may be surprising that County Durham has featured so high on this list. However, the local council has put its money where its mouth is when it comes to improving its level of cleanliness, boasting an expenditure of £20.4bn on environmental services per 100,000 residents. This, paired with the 712 annual Google searches for the term ‘recycling near me’, has earned County Durham a deserved place on this ranking.
Wokingham
7.79
Overall cleanliness score /10
With an overall cleanliness score of 7.79 /10, the town of Wokingham takes second place. Located in the South East of England, this town has scored consistently well across the board, including a CO2 emission total of 3.5 tCO2e per capita - the lowest of all areas in this ranking. A high ‘Clean and Tidy’ score of 83 /100, paired with the lowest number of annual searches for ‘recycling near me’ per 100,000 residents suggests that this community are clued up when it comes to cleanliness.
Milton Keynes
7.51 /10
Overall cleanliness score /10
Completing this top three, with an overall cleanliness score of 7.51 /10, is Milton Keynes. It appears that the residents here are being encouraged to do their bit for the environment as they have the highest number of ‘Its Your Neighbourhood’ groups per 100,000 residents in this top three - totalling 16. Other factors that have contributed to the third-place ranking of this local authority are its ‘Clean and Tidy’ score of 68 /100 and 344 searches for the term ‘recycling near me’ per 100,000 residents.
The cleanest locations in the UK
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Methodology
We used Numbeo to find each local authority’s ‘clean and tidy’ score and ‘quality of green and parks’ score.
We used data from the following government websites to find each local authority’s most recent expenditure on environmental services: Wales, England, Scotland. We were unable to find any data for the local authorities in Northern Ireland so these areas were removed from our ranking. It is also worth noting that the methodologies used may differ slightly between country.
We were unable to find any data for the local authorities in Northern Ireland so these areas were removed from our ranking. It is also worth noting that the methodologies used may differ slightly between country.
We used GOV.UK to find the estimated CO2 emissions for each local authority.
We used the Royal Horticultural Society to find the number of ‘It’s Your Neighbourhood’ groups and ‘Britain in Bloom’ groups for each area before normalising these numbers against population.
Any areas that we were unable to find all of the data for were removed from the ranking, leaving us with a total of 68 UK areas.
Finally, we used the cleanliness factors (CO2 emissions, clean and tidy score, quality of green and parks score, Google searches, environmental service expenditure, number of ‘Britain in Bloom’ groups and the number of ‘It’s Your Neighbourhood’ groups) and normalized each factor out of 10 before taking an average of those scores to get our overall ‘cleanliness score’.
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Eastbourne and Worthing have the lowest carbon footprint in the UK - totalling 2.5 tCO2e per capita
In addition to looking at which areas in the UK are the cleanest overall, we have given each cleanliness factor its own ranking - and up first are the areas with the lowest CO2 emissions per capita.
Eastbourne, Worthing
2.5 tCO2e
per capita
Sharing the title of UK areas with the lowest CO2 emissions are Eastbourne and Worthing with just 2.5 tCO2e of emissions per capita. The seaside town of Eastbourne has implemented things such as solar panels and electric vehicle charging points, which have encouraged the residents here to reduce their carbon footprint. Meanwhile, Worthing has recently announced a network heat scheme alongside three other projects which aim to introduce a more environmentally-friendly way for residents to heat their homes. Eastbourne and Worthing’s spot on this ranking suggests that their efforts are paying off!
The UK areas with the lowest CO2 emissions
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CO2 emissions (kt CO2e) |
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Methodology
We used Numbeo to find each local authority’s ‘clean and tidy’ score and ‘quality of green and parks’ score.
We used data from the following government websites to find each local authority’s most recent expenditure on environmental services: Wales, England, Scotland. We were unable to find any data for the local authorities in Northern Ireland so these areas were removed from our ranking. It is also worth noting that the methodologies used may differ slightly between country.
We were unable to find any data for the local authorities in Northern Ireland so these areas were removed from our ranking. It is also worth noting that the methodologies used may differ slightly between country.
We used GOV.UK to find the estimated CO2 emissions for each local authority.
We used the Royal Horticultural Society to find the number of ‘It’s Your Neighbourhood’ groups and ‘Britain in Bloom’ groups for each area before normalising these numbers against population.
Any areas that we were unable to find all of the data for were removed from the ranking, leaving us with a total of 68 UK areas.
Finally, we used the cleanliness factors (CO2 emissions, clean and tidy score, quality of green and parks score, Google searches, environmental service expenditure, number of ‘Britain in Bloom’ groups and the number of ‘It’s Your Neighbourhood’ groups) and normalized each factor out of 10 before taking an average of those scores to get our overall ‘cleanliness score’.
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County Durham has spent £20.4bn on environmental services per 100,000 residents - more than any other area in the UK
Whether it is to reduce high levels of pollution in an area or to keep current levels of pollution down, local councils put thousands of pounds into improving the environment every year. Below is a list of the UK areas which have spent the most money on environmental services between 2021-2022.
County Durham
£20.4bn
Expenditure on environmental services per 100,000 residents
Making its second appearance in one of these lists is County Durham by spending more money than any other area in the UK when it comes to environmental services. The £20.4bn expenditure per 100,000 residents includes any services that can contribute to improving the area's cleanliness, such as helping to reduce air pollution and sewage levels.
The UK areas with the highest expenditure on environmental services
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Expenditure on Environmental Services per 100,000 residents |
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Methodology
We used Numbeo to find each local authority’s ‘clean and tidy’ score and ‘quality of green and parks’ score.
We used data from the following government websites to find each local authority’s most recent expenditure on environmental services: Wales, England, Scotland. We were unable to find any data for the local authorities in Northern Ireland so these areas were removed from our ranking. It is also worth noting that the methodologies used may differ slightly between country.
We were unable to find any data for the local authorities in Northern Ireland so these areas were removed from our ranking. It is also worth noting that the methodologies used may differ slightly between country.
We used GOV.UK to find the estimated CO2 emissions for each local authority.
We used the Royal Horticultural Society to find the number of ‘It’s Your Neighbourhood’ groups and ‘Britain in Bloom’ groups for each area before normalising these numbers against population.
Any areas that we were unable to find all of the data for were removed from the ranking, leaving us with a total of 68 UK areas.
Finally, we used the cleanliness factors (CO2 emissions, clean and tidy score, quality of green and parks score, Google searches, environmental service expenditure, number of ‘Britain in Bloom’ groups and the number of ‘It’s Your Neighbourhood’ groups) and normalized each factor out of 10 before taking an average of those scores to get our overall ‘cleanliness score’.
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With a score of 87.5 /100, County Durham has the highest ‘Clean and Tidy’ score in the UK
Whilst some of our cleanliness factors, such as CO2 emissions, are based on factual evidence, we also wanted to find out which areas are thought to be the cleanest by the general public. Using data submitted by residents, these are the UK areas with the highest ‘Clean and Tidy’ scores.
County Durham
87.5 /100
Clean and tidy score
County Durham has already been featured above as it is the UK’s third cleanest overall area, however, it takes the top spot here as the area with the highest ‘Clean and Tidy’ score. With a score of 87.5 out of a possible 100, it seems that people are struggling to fault the cleanliness of County Durham which is a testament to the efforts made by its residents and local council.
The UK areas with the best ‘clean and tidy’ scores
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Clean and tidy score (/100) |
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Methodology
We used Numbeo to find each local authority’s ‘clean and tidy’ score and ‘quality of green and parks’ score.
We used data from the following government websites to find each local authority’s most recent expenditure on environmental services: Wales, England, Scotland. We were unable to find any data for the local authorities in Northern Ireland so these areas were removed from our ranking. It is also worth noting that the methodologies used may differ slightly between country.
We were unable to find any data for the local authorities in Northern Ireland so these areas were removed from our ranking. It is also worth noting that the methodologies used may differ slightly between country.
We used GOV.UK to find the estimated CO2 emissions for each local authority.
We used the Royal Horticultural Society to find the number of ‘It’s Your Neighbourhood’ groups and ‘Britain in Bloom’ groups for each area before normalising these numbers against population.
Any areas that we were unable to find all of the data for were removed from the ranking, leaving us with a total of 68 UK areas.
Finally, we used the cleanliness factors (CO2 emissions, clean and tidy score, quality of green and parks score, Google searches, environmental service expenditure, number of ‘Britain in Bloom’ groups and the number of ‘It’s Your Neighbourhood’ groups) and normalized each factor out of 10 before taking an average of those scores to get our overall ‘cleanliness score’.
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Warwick and Harrogate have perfect scores of 100 /100 when it comes to the quality of their green and parks
If asked what comes to mind when you think of the environment, a common answer would be parks and green spaces - but which areas in the UK are rated highest for these elements?
Warwick & Harrogate
100 /100
Quality of green and parks score
In terms of the quality of green and parks, it is the English towns of Warwick and Harrogate that dominate the ranking - with scores of 100 /100. With a perfect score for this factor, it is no surprise that Warwick was also featured in the overall cleanliness ranking revealed above. In addition to this, it appears that Harrogate also hasn't put a foot wrong when it comes to conserving wildlife as they provide visitors with acres of environmentally-friendly facilities.
The UK areas with the highest quality green and parks
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Local authority |
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Quality of green and parks score (/100) |
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Methodology
We used Numbeo to find each local authority’s ‘clean and tidy’ score and ‘quality of green and parks’ score.
We used data from the following government websites to find each local authority’s most recent expenditure on environmental services: Wales, England, Scotland. We were unable to find any data for the local authorities in Northern Ireland so these areas were removed from our ranking. It is also worth noting that the methodologies used may differ slightly between country.
We were unable to find any data for the local authorities in Northern Ireland so these areas were removed from our ranking. It is also worth noting that the methodologies used may differ slightly between country.
We used GOV.UK to find the estimated CO2 emissions for each local authority.
We used the Royal Horticultural Society to find the number of ‘It’s Your Neighbourhood’ groups and ‘Britain in Bloom’ groups for each area before normalising these numbers against population.
Any areas that we were unable to find all of the data for were removed from the ranking, leaving us with a total of 68 UK areas.
Finally, we used the cleanliness factors (CO2 emissions, clean and tidy score, quality of green and parks score, Google searches, environmental service expenditure, number of ‘Britain in Bloom’ groups and the number of ‘It’s Your Neighbourhood’ groups) and normalized each factor out of 10 before taking an average of those scores to get our overall ‘cleanliness score’.
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Harrogate is home to 13 ‘Britain in Bloom’ groups per 100,000 residents - more than any other area in the UK
Run by the Royal Horticultural Society, ‘Britain in Bloom’ is a nationwide campaign and competition which encourages people to greenify their communities through landscaping. Below is a list of UK areas with the most ‘Britain in Bloom’ groups per 100,000 residents.
Harrogate
13
‘Britain in Bloom’ groups per 100,000 residents
Located in North Yorkshire, Harrogate is a pretty town with a passion for all things green. In total, the town is home to 21 ‘Britain in Bloom’ groups which equates to 13 per 100,000 residents.
Getting your hands dirty may seem like the opposite of being clean, but the 21 ‘Britain in Bloom’ groups in this area allow people to get active for the greater good of the environment.
The UK areas with the most ‘Britain in Bloom’ groups
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‘Britain in Bloom' groups per 100,000 residents |
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*The data has been rounded to whole numbers so some will have the same total but will be ranked differently.
Methodology
We used Numbeo to find each local authority’s ‘clean and tidy’ score and ‘quality of green and parks’ score.
We used data from the following government websites to find each local authority’s most recent expenditure on environmental services: Wales, England, Scotland. We were unable to find any data for the local authorities in Northern Ireland so these areas were removed from our ranking. It is also worth noting that the methodologies used may differ slightly between country.
We were unable to find any data for the local authorities in Northern Ireland so these areas were removed from our ranking. It is also worth noting that the methodologies used may differ slightly between country.
We used GOV.UK to find the estimated CO2 emissions for each local authority.
We used the Royal Horticultural Society to find the number of ‘It’s Your Neighbourhood’ groups and ‘Britain in Bloom’ groups for each area before normalising these numbers against population.
Any areas that we were unable to find all of the data for were removed from the ranking, leaving us with a total of 68 UK areas.
Finally, we used the cleanliness factors (CO2 emissions, clean and tidy score, quality of green and parks score, Google searches, environmental service expenditure, number of ‘Britain in Bloom’ groups and the number of ‘It’s Your Neighbourhood’ groups) and normalized each factor out of 10 before taking an average of those scores to get our overall ‘cleanliness score’.
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Eastbourne has the lowest carbon footprint in the UK - totalling 263 kt CO2e
In addition to looking at which areas in the UK are the cleanest overall, we have given each cleanliness factor its own ranking - and up first are the areas with the lowest CO2 emissions.
Wigan
40
‘It’s Your Neighbourhood’ groups per 100,000 residents
Another northern town showing pride for their neighbourhood, Wigan is located in Greater Manchester and has the highest number of ‘It’s Your Neighbourhood’ groups per 100,000 residents. With a total of 141 groups in the surrounding area, you are bound to find a group that is right for you here, giving you the opportunity to do your bit to help improve the cleanliness of this town.
The UK areas with the most ‘It’s Your Neighbourhood’ groups
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Local authority |
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‘It's Your Neighbourhood' groups per 100,000 residents |
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*The data has been rounded to whole numbers so some will have the same total but will be ranked differently.
Methodology
We used Numbeo to find each local authority’s ‘clean and tidy’ score and ‘quality of green and parks’ score.
We used data from the following government websites to find each local authority’s most recent expenditure on environmental services: Wales, England, Scotland. We were unable to find any data for the local authorities in Northern Ireland so these areas were removed from our ranking. It is also worth noting that the methodologies used may differ slightly between country.
We were unable to find any data for the local authorities in Northern Ireland so these areas were removed from our ranking. It is also worth noting that the methodologies used may differ slightly between country.
We used GOV.UK to find the estimated CO2 emissions for each local authority.
We used the Royal Horticultural Society to find the number of ‘It’s Your Neighbourhood’ groups and ‘Britain in Bloom’ groups for each area before normalising these numbers against population.
Any areas that we were unable to find all of the data for were removed from the ranking, leaving us with a total of 68 UK areas.
Finally, we used the cleanliness factors (CO2 emissions, clean and tidy score, quality of green and parks score, Google searches, environmental service expenditure, number of ‘Britain in Bloom’ groups and the number of ‘It’s Your Neighbourhood’ groups) and normalized each factor out of 10 before taking an average of those scores to get our overall ‘cleanliness score’.
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With 831 Google searches per 100,000 residents, Swansea is the most proactive area in the UK when it comes to recycling
We have revealed which areas of the UK are currently the cleanest, but whose residents are most interested in taking action? Below is a list of the areas with the most Google searches for the term ‘recycling near me’ over the last year.
Swansea
831
Searches per 100,000 residents
Despite having a lower number of total Google searches compared to some of the other entries on this list, Swansea comes out on top when the population is taken into account. Last year Wales was revealed as one of the world’s best recyclers, and it appears that the residents of Swansea are eager to do their bit, evidenced by the 831 searches per 100,000 residents for the term ‘recycling near me’.
The UK areas showing the most interest in recycling
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*The data has been rounded to whole numbers so some will have the same total but will be ranked differently.
Methodology
We used Numbeo to find each local authority’s ‘clean and tidy’ score and ‘quality of green and parks’ score.
We used data from the following government websites to find each local authority’s most recent expenditure on environmental services: Wales, England, Scotland. We were unable to find any data for the local authorities in Northern Ireland so these areas were removed from our ranking. It is also worth noting that the methodologies used may differ slightly between country.
We were unable to find any data for the local authorities in Northern Ireland so these areas were removed from our ranking. It is also worth noting that the methodologies used may differ slightly between country.
We used GOV.UK to find the estimated CO2 emissions for each local authority.
We used the Royal Horticultural Society to find the number of ‘It’s Your Neighbourhood’ groups and ‘Britain in Bloom’ groups for each area before normalising these numbers against population.
Any areas that we were unable to find all of the data for were removed from the ranking, leaving us with a total of 68 UK areas.
Finally, we used the cleanliness factors (CO2 emissions, clean and tidy score, quality of green and parks score, Google searches, environmental service expenditure, number of ‘Britain in Bloom’ groups and the number of ‘It’s Your Neighbourhood’ groups) and normalized each factor out of 10 before taking an average of those scores to get our overall ‘cleanliness score’.
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