Sustainability

We are now painfully aware that we face a climate and biodiversity crisis, and that every effort counts towards a better natural environment.
Gardening

​The Royal Horticultural Society offers advice to help us address biodiversity in a positive way:
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  • Gardening for the environment: gardens are an increasingly important part of the natural environment – as gardeners we can all help tackle both the causes and effects of climate change, right on our doorsteps

  • Wildlife gardening: Sharing our gardens with nature brings joy to an increasing number of gardeners. A rich diversity of plant and animal species will live happily alongside people, needing only a little helping hand from us. Discover what you can do to make your outside space a haven for wildlife

Garden Waste can be recycled in a couple of ways:
  • Composting is a great way to make use of your garden waste – everything from lawn clippings to annual weeds, hedge-trimmings to faded flowers. Recycle Now give some helpful guidance on how to start composting.
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  • Oxford's Garden Waste Collection Scheme in the brown bins is another way to recycle garden waste. 
Water conservation and management

We are all (well, most people are) aware of the consequences of global warming with extreme weather conditions causing flooding, extreme heat and drought.

Getting water into the ground helps to make it a sponge
Rainwater seeps through the unpaved areas of our gardens like a sponge and eventually emerges as the springs that keep the Lye Valley fen and Boundary Brook alive with all the unique lants, insects, reptiles, birds and animals. We can help with this by 
  • diverting roof rainwater downpipes into a water butt and use it to water the garden when the weather is dry
  • have a soakaway - rainwater from the roof can then drain into the ground like a sponge
  • make a rain garden - roof rainwater waters the plants and the overflow goes into the ground.
See the Sponge Headington leaflet for other information from Friends of Lye Valley
Air Quality

Wood-burning stoves release harmful particles into the air, which are dangerous to health. These tiny, invisible particles can affect every organ in the body and increase the risk of serious illnesses such as lung disease, heart disease, and even cancer. Children are especially vulnerable, as exposure can stunt lung growth and affect their development. 

From December 2024 Oxford City Council extended the control areas to reduce harmful pollution by managing the use of solid fuel appliances, such as wood-burning stoves. See Bonfires are defined as 'large but controlled outdoor fires, used either for informal disposal of burnable waste material or as part of a celebration'. If materials are dry and burn quickly creating little smoke, then there is usually little problem, providing the smoke does not blow directly towards occupied premises. Damp vegetation, however, does not burn well as it produces large volumes of smoke and smoulders for long periods of time. Burning this type of waste often causes complaints and so it should be disposed of in other ways. For more information visit the Oxford City webpage and use the brown garden waste bins or share with a neighbour.