Air quality information and campaigns

Air pollution is responsible for 36,000 deaths in the UK each year and it’s vital that everyone plays a role in improving the air we breathe. Not only is clean air essential for our health, but also the health of the planet.

We’ve been taking steps to create a greener borough for current and future generations by helping to improve Kingston’s air quality and tackle climate change.

Over 2,000 extra trees have been planted since 2019 which help to filter the air we breathe and trap pollutants. These trees also provide habitat for a variety of species, shade us on sunny days, help to minimise flood risk and suck climate changing carbon from the atmosphere. You can find out more on our tree planting pages.

To help make walking and cycling as easy and attractive as possible, we’ve created over 24 kilometres of cycleways along with walking routes, making it quicker and more pleasant to get around the borough without a car.

To complement this, we run free cycle training sessions for families and individuals to help improve confidence, plan journeys and find quieter routes to travel. You can find out more about this on our cycle skills page.

Children are disproportionately impacted by poor air quality and to help protect them we’ve introduced a number of School Streets which limit traffic outside schools during pick up and drop off times. This reduces the amount of harmful emissions school children are exposed to, eases congestion and encourages active travel.

We’ve also teamed up with Peddle My Wheels who provide a ‘try before you bike’ service which allows people to trial a new or nearly new bike for a monthly fee, which also covers insurance against theft and damage, as well as essential accessories like lights and a lock. Find out more on the 'try before you bike' page.

We’ve also been supporting the transition to electric vehicles with the installation of more vehicle chargers across the borough each year, using renewable energy which further helps limit environmental impact.

The council itself has been working to electrify its fleet, with our Estate Services and Community Library vehicles being 100% electric and in the future, Kingston will have an electric waste fleet, the introduction of which will be the same as removing 689 cars off the road each year.

There’s lots of work underway across the borough, but we need your help. Fortunately, there are lots of easy steps you can take to help improve the air around us.

• If you can, leave the car at home and travel sustainably. Visit our website for help getting started and visit the sustrans website to read real experiences from people who have given up their car completely.
• If you do need to drive, make sure that you don’t idle your engine. Keeping your engine running when it’s not needed wastes money, creates air pollution and contributes to climate change.
• If you can, avoid using wood burning stoves and fireplaces. If you need to burn solid fuels like wood or coal to warm your home, heat your water or cook your food, be sure to visit the Burn Better website to find out how to minimise the health and environmental risk.
• You can visit the Government’s website for advice about making changes to your home which can cut emissions.
• You can sign up for free air quality alerts from @airTEXT. They’ll let you know what air quality is like in your area and plan ahead. This is particularly useful if you have a health condition, like asthma. Find out more on their website.
• Plant trees and greenery at home or at work. They are great for cleaning the air, providing shade and are home to all sorts of wonderful wildlife. Get tips on what sorts of trees there are on the Tree Council website.