Life in Lancashire Wave 18
| Purpose | To measure perceptions of people's local area and the quality of local services, to ascertain panel members' views on the environment and climate change, and to investigate uptake of recycling and composting. |
|---|---|
| Subject |
All services The environment Waste and recycling facilities |
| Commissioned by | Fiona Cruchley, Planning - Environmental Policy |
| Geographic area |
All of Lancashire |
|---|---|
| Method |
Questionnaire - postal |
| Consultation with |
Life in Lancashire panel |
| Date | 28/03/2007 - 30/04/2007 |
| Undertaken by | Corporate Research and Intelligence Team, Policy Unit |
Results
| Number in sample | 1670 |
|---|---|
| Number of responses | 1231 |
| Response rate | 73% |
| Key findings | Traffic congestion and pollution from exhaust fumes, and fly tipping are the most serious concerns. For their own actions to help the environment, almost all respondents answer that they recycle regularly. About two in three panel members regularly cut down on the amount of water they use and encourage wildlife in their garden (both 66%). Almost as many regularly cut down the amount of electricity and gas they use. Four in five respondents are either very or fairly convinced climate change is happening (80%), though one in five remains unconvinced. Three in five respondents agree that this change is due to human activities - the main cause of climate change is seen as destruction of forests. When asked at what point the world will be affected by climate change, about a third of respondents agree that the world is already affected. |
| Outcomes | Climate change The research has helped us develop a climate change strategy for Lancashire. It includes a variety of actions to help people reduce their vehicle emissions and energy use at home, as well as actions for business and local authorities. Have a look at the draft strategy at: http://www.lancashire.gov.uk/environment/envpolicy/climate/lancs_cc_strategy The Lancashire Locals Climate Change Fund was launched at the end of October. The fund gives grants for community projects that help reduce greenhouse gas emissions or help communities cope with the impact of climate change. Grants normally range from £500 to £15,000. More information about how voluntary organisations, community groups and parish/town councils can apply for a grant can be found at: http://www.lancashire.gov.uk/environment/climatechangefund A climate change themed education project in Lancashire schools, run by the Lancashire Wildlife Trust, is just getting underway. The Climate Control project provides educational activities about climate change and gives advice to schools to help them reduce their environmental impact. Recycling and composting In Lancashire last year we recycled 146,000 tonnes of waste and composted 81,000 tonnes. To help people recycle more, we are improving recycling services in the following ways. * We are trialling a drinks carton collection scheme at three household waste recycling centres (HWRCs) in Preston, St Annes and Burscough. If the scheme is successful, we will extend it to the other 20 HWRCs where possible. * We are making sure everyone has access to good quality kerbside recycling services. We are working closely with Lancaster City Council to help them offer a similar level of recycling service to the rest of the county. When it came to home composting, it was encouraging to see that most of you who have a home compost bin have had it for a relatively long time and still use it regularly. We are looking at the way we communicate with home composters, and we are planning to make the comPOST newsletter available to people electronically where they want it. |
Project document(s)
Report(s)
Questionnaire(s)
Marked up questionnaire(s)
Contact information
For more information about this research contact:
Melissa Sherliker
01772 535019
Email: haveyoursay@lancashire.gov.uk
Related information
Life in Lancashire members' website:
http://www.lancashire.gov.uk/corporate/lil/