Lithium battery fires

Lithium batteries have caused fires in the rubbish lorries. Please do not put batteries in your waste or recycling bin. All batteries (including lithium batteries from e-bikes and e-scooters and other re-chargeable devices) can be taken to the Reuse and Recycling Centre at Northumberland Wharf.

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Carbon Offsetting

The council has a carbon offset fund. It is funded by contributions from new developments in the borough that don't meet net-zero targets on site. The council uses this money to fund carbon reduction projects across the borough.

Projects - in delivery and upcoming

There are several projects currently being delivered and upcoming:

Community Support

The Carbon Reduction Community Grants Programme is open to any Community Group, Community Interest Company and Charity in Tower Hamlets.

The grants help support carbon reductions through building retrofit projects or community engagement activities.

We have completed two phases of this programme, awarding 33 grants totaling £524,000. These projects will result in carbon savings of 458 tonnes.

We will have a third round of grants in early 2024, and all the details will be available on our carbon reduction community grant page.

Funding streams

Gas boiler replacements and renewable energy installations

You can apply for up to £30,000 if you're replacing a gas boiler with electric heating or installing renewable energy technology like solar panels.

Energy retrofit projects

For other energy retrofit projects such as lighting and replacement equipment, you can apply for up to £15,000.

Learning and behavioral change projects

Grants of up to £10,000 are available for projects that improve learning and encourage behavior change of local residents and groups on energy and carbon reduction.

Support for residents

The council is working to deliver a new Residential Energy Efficiency Programme. Phase 3 will provide a million-pound programme to help private low-income households with energy-efficient measures like

  • Energy efficient gas boilers
  • Energy efficient electric heating systems
  • Energy efficient doubled glazed windows
  • Heat pumps
  • Solar PV
  • Loft and cavity wall insulation
  • Radiator reflector panels
  • Low energy lighting

Each eligible household will receive up to £10,000 worth of measures. - The scheme is expected to launch in April 2024 and aims to help at least 100 households reduce carbon dioxide emissions, improve EPC ratings, and enhance comfort of living.

Council estate

The carbon fund will finance the installation of solar panels on approximately 10-13 buildings across the council estate.

The council will utilise the GLA's Retrofit Accelerator Workplaces program to procure a Service Provider for this project.

The service provider will install the solar panels and proposal for council buildings on other carbon reduction projects that can be implemented. These works will be implemented in future phases of this project and the council will look to utilise government funding to support these projects.

The solar panels will be installed during 2024.

Completed projects

Since 2019 we have completed several carbon reduction projects across the borough.

Schools

Project Earth Rock

The council provided schools with a resource called Project Earth Rock.This is a multimedia resource for teaching sustainability that is aimed at Key Stage 2 but has been used and enjoyed by pupils in Key Stage 1. Its cross-curricular animated musical approach enables teachers and pupils to easily access its themes. All the themes are linked to various parts of the national curriculum and these links are explained within the resource pack.

The 12 songs, lesson plans and accompanying videos bring environmental topics to life in the classroom.

In addition to providing the resource packs to schools, a training session was also provided for teachers, so they were confident in using the resource in their schools.

Schools Energy Retrofit Programme

Grants were made available to schools to proactively carry out energy reduction and energy efficiency projects that will reduce the school’s carbon emissions.

There was an open application process for schools to come forward with projects they would like funded and these were considered by a panel.

The purpose is to ensure that the funding is used to install the most efficient measures possible. Also to support schools in doing this as many school budgets do not allow for improvements or retrofit work.

The programme has awarded grants totalling £670,000 to 24 schools. These projects will result in carbon emission savings of 374 tonnes. 

Read a case study of a completed project.

Schools Carbon Emission Reduction Programme

This programme provided nine maintained schools with 10 per cent funding towards energy reduction projects that will reduce associated carbon emissions. The projects were delivered by Children’s Services Capital & Asset Management Team as part of their 2017/18 capital programme.

The 10 per cent funding was provided as schools are requested to provide this share of funding towards the projects. These schools were unable to do so due to having no more budget. By providing this funding, it ensured that these vital projects went ahead and they were as energy efficient as possible.

Funding of £180,000 was provided to pay 10 per cent of the costs of nine projects that will achieve carbon emission reductions of 62 tonnes.

Business support

The council’s SME Energy Improvement Grants Programme made grants available for 50 per cent of the project costs of energy reduction projects. There were two funding streams available:

  • Grants of up to £10,000 for replacing a gas boiler with a form of electric heating (such as a heat pump) or installing a renewable energy technology (such as solar panels)
  • Grants of up to £5,000 for all other energy retrofit projects, such as lighting and replacement equipment.

The programme awarded 140 grants totalling just over £763,000. These projects have resulted in carbon emission reductions of 384 tonnes.

Read case study of a completed project.

Support for residents

Boiler Replacement Programme

The council have delivered two schemes to help residents

  • replace old and inefficient gas boilers
  • with new radiators
  • with upgraded heating controls as well as delivering improved levels of insulation.

Phase 1 helped 68 low-income households achieve an annual saving of 52.11 tonnes per year of carbon dioxide emissions. The properties average EPC rating was also improved from a D to a C.

Phase 2 helped 78 low-income households achieve an annual saving of 62.7 tonnes per year of carbon dioxide emissions. The properties average EPC rating was also improved from a D to a C. 

Council Estate

The carbon fund match funded a grant from the government’s Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme to install air source heat pumps in to four buildings.

These four buildings were Overlands children’s centre, Mowlem’s children’s centre, Toby Lane depot and Jack Dash House.

The project resulted in carbon savings of 106 tonnes a year.