Mid Devon has been ranked in the top ten for eco-friendly households, in a survey published in the Times.

Islington came out with the top score, closely followed by Oxford and Camden. Mid Devon was the only area in the South West to feature in the top ten, coming in tenth.

The survey was carried out by estate agents Savills which broke down carbon emissions and non-recyclable waste per person and per household to come up with a list of the country’s most eco-friendly housing areas.

Cllr Colin Slade, Cabinet Member for the Environment and Climate Change said: “It is great Mid Devon has been recognised as one of the top performing areas for eco friendly households in the country. We know our communities are passionate about tackling climate change and as a council we are committed to supporting them, alongside our pledge for our own organisation to be carbon neutral by 2030.”

The research by Savills revealed on average Islington generated 355 kg of unrecycled waste per household and generated 2.27 tonnes of domestic C02 emissions per household. Mid Devon produced more C02 per household at 3.08 tonnes and 363kg of waste per household.

Jason Ball, Climate and Sustainability Specialist at Mid Devon District Council added: “The Council formally declared a Climate Emergency in 2019 and pledged to reduce our climate impact - we have already cut more than 600 tonnes of CO₂ from our annual carbon footprint. We have supported Mid Devon home owners to help them reduce waste, recycle more, save energy and join renewable energy schemes. We are committed to building new homes for local people that will achieve Net Zero energy performance, and we are busy retrofitting to help cut household energy bills. We know there is more to do but we are moving in the right direction and eager for more success in the future, working closely with eco-friendly champions in our communities.”

 The full article is available to Times subscribers.