Guildford Ranks Highly In Eco-Friendly Living, Study Finds

Published on: 22 Nov, 2025
Updated on: 23 Nov, 2025

Guildford Castle Grounds. “Our parks and green spaces are at the heart of Guildford’s sustainability success,” says the council.

Guildford has been ranked the eighth-most eco-friendly town in England following a study looking at environmental and lifestyle factors.

Guildford Borough Council says this is a recognition that reflects the council’s “strong commitment to sustainability, cleaner air and green living”.

The study by Rubbish.com, who describe themselves as an eco-friendly rubbish removal service, compared towns and cities across nine environmental and lifestyle factors. The aim was to determine which ones were leading the way when it comes to eco-friendly living.

The criteria included the number of parks per resident, greenhouse gas emissions, recycling performance, household energy use, cycling rates and the uptake of solar panels. Each factor was weighted to reflect its importance, and every town and city was scored on the same scale for fair comparison.

The council says Guildford’s ranking is backed by strong environmental indicators including:

2.95 parks per 10,000 residents
an Air Quality Index (AQI) of 34, indicating good air quality
relatively low greenhouse gas emissions at 4.8 tonnes of CO₂ per person
good recycling rates, with 56.4% of household waste recycled.

The council says one of its key priorities is to make Guildford a more sustainable borough. Since declaring a Climate Emergency in 2019 the council has:

adopted a comprehensive Climate Change Action Plan, with over 300 actions listed
reduced its carbon footprint by 13 per cent from the 2019 baseline
embedded sustainability into its corporate strategy.

The council has also invested in sustainable travel through the development of a long-term transport strategy. This includes discounted parking schemes for motorists with electric vehicles and support for active travel infrastructure.

Cllr Catherine Houston

Cllr Catherine Houston, Lead Councillor for Climate Change and Leisure at Guildford Borough Council, said: “Guildford’s position as one of England’s greenest towns and cities is something that we can all be proud of. It reflects the progress we’ve made as we aim to become Net Zero by 2030 and make our borough more sustainable for everyone.

“Every action, whether it’s reducing emissions, recycling or choosing greener travel, helps us to reach those goals together.”

Guildford also has more than 65 parks, gardens and green spaces. These range from quiet gardens to larger parks and open spaces.

Stoke Park and Guildford Castle Grounds have been awarded the Green Flag Award. This recognises the best parks and green spaces across the UK and around the world.

Cllr Angela Goodwin.

Cllr Angela Goodwin, Lead Councillor for Environment and Recreation at Guildford Borough Council, said: “Our parks and green spaces are at the heart of Guildford’s sustainability success. They provide opportunities to relax, exercise and connect with nature.

“They also play a key role in supporting biodiversity and improving the borough’s air quality. We’re committed to protecting these spaces as part of our wider vision for a healthier, greener borough.

“I’d like to add my personal thanks to GBC staff who work hard all year round to maintain our green spaces and encourage biodiversity to flourish.”

You can find out more about what GBC is doing to combat climate change on its website.

Find out more about Guildford’s parks and green spaces.

Find out about Rubbish.com.