Very few cities anywhere can claim what Leicester can. In the results it announced in June 2025, the city was “one of only 112 cities worldwide” to receive an A rating in a global climate disclosure scheme, out of more than 970 rated. It was the sixth year running, and the council says it has held the top grade since 2019.
For a family anywhere in the UK, the useful question is what that looks like at home, because a city’s climate plan eventually comes down to lofts, kitchens and bin day.
What the rating does and doesn’t measure
A rating like this is largely about planning and honesty. The council credits a city-wide emissions inventory, a reduction target, a published climate action plan and a plan for adapting to climate change. It does not mean that every home in Leicester is warm and efficient, and the city is candid about the scale of the task. Its plan says that reaching net zero by 2030 would need investment of up to £1 billion a year, so that date is being kept under review.
Its figures also show why homes matter. Leicester’s carbon footprint was around 1.3 million tonnes in 2019, with domestic energy, industry and transport making up about three quarters of it. Heat, for buildings and hot water as well as for industry, accounts for nearly half of those emissions.
Where skip hire comes in when a home gets greener
Before anyone can insulate a loft, the loft has to be emptied, often for the first time in years. Most of what comes down the ladder can go in a skip, but tins of paint, batteries and gas bottles cannot. Because they need special treatment, most skip hire companies charge extra if items like these turn up in a skip. For example, skip hire provider in Leicester, easySkip, says prohibited items found at collection are charged for specialist disposal, and that it is always cheaper to check first. Timing matters too, because HMRC guidance says zero-rate VAT on installing energy-saving materials runs until 31 March 2027.
What comes out during the work itself is a separate matter. Government guidance says waste produced by a tradesperson is classed as business waste, and that the tradesperson is responsible for removing it, so old insulation and boards should be part of the quote.
The bins: where a family can make a difference this week
The kitchen is a far easier place to start. Leicester City Council says food accounts for “around 40 per cent of wheelie bin waste” in the city, and its climate plan explains why that matters. When food breaks down in landfill it produces methane, which the plan describes as at least 28 times more powerful than carbon dioxide in causing global heating.
Many families could cut that without spending anything. Meal plans, a look in the fridge before the weekly shop, and treating the freezer as a friend all help to reduce it. Weekly food waste collections are now the rule for most English councils, though Leicester’s start date is linked to the end of its current waste contract, and some other councils have longer to comply.
The big things: toys, beds and outgrown furniture
Family life produces large objects that no bin will take: cots, bunk beds, trampolines and the desk that nobody uses. Here, Leicester offers a generous example. Residents can book one free bulky waste collection every two months for up to five items, with extra collections at £22. Plenty of councils elsewhere charge, so it is worth checking what yours offers before assuming the worst.
Anything still in good condition deserves a different fate. Leicester has a charity reuse shop at its Gypsum Close recycling centre, and many other areas have something similar. A cot that has served one family may be fine for another, although it is worth checking current safety advice before passing on anything a baby will sleep in.
What any family can borrow from a top-rated city
The rating may belong to Leicester, but the thinking behind it travels. Its plan is built around knowing where emissions come from and then tackling the largest sources first, and that works just as well at home:
- Start with heat: Draught-proofing and insulation usually make the biggest difference, so look at those before anything more glamorous.
- Empty the loft in stages: A box a week is far less daunting than a single weekend, and it gives you time to sell or donate things.
- Keep food out of the bin: Use a caddy if your council collects food waste, and a compost bin if you have the garden for it.
- Use the free options first: Council collections, reuse shops and school swap events can often deal with more than you might expect.
- Save the skip for the big job: It makes sense for a major clear-out or building work, once the reusable things have found a new home.
A city’s grade, a family’s choices
A rating of this kind can look distant from daily life, and to some extent it is. Leicester’s plan says the council is directly responsible for only around 1.5% of the city’s carbon footprint from energy and fuel use, which means most of the change has to happen elsewhere, including at home.
That is true of every town in Britain. Whether or not your city appears on a global list, the loft, the fridge and the bin are all within reach, and they are as good a place as any to begin.
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