York, Cardiff and Oxford are UK’s most sustainable cities, according to study

Wolverhampton scored lowest behind Birmingham and Norwich

York topped the categories for people who shop in zero-plastic supermarkets and those who grow fruit and vegetables at home (iStock)

York, Cardiff and Oxford are the greenest cities in the UK, a study has revealed.

Researchers looked at the nation’s eco-friendly habits – taking into account a host of factors such as the tendency to buy refurbished items, recycling rates, methods of travel, and even time spent in the shower.

Based on the responses of 2,286 adults on different aspects of sustainability, 27 cities were awarded points that were then tallied up – with the walled city of York achieving the highest overall score.

According to the musicMagpie study, York came top in the individual category for the proportion of those who shop in zero-plastic supermarkets – sharing the spoils with Birmingham (31 per cent).

And the northeast city also scored highest for the proportion of those who grow fruit and vegetables at home (72 per cent).

Second place belonged to Cardiff, which is home to the largest proportion of residents who buy or use refurbished technology (72 per cent) and also those who up-cycle old household items (68 per cent).

Close behind was Oxford, which came third, followed by Plymouth in fourth, and Brighton and Newcastle in joint fifth.

However, out of all 27 cities polled, Wolverhampton scored lowest behind Birmingham and Norwich.

Liam Howley, from musicMagpie, said: “We all want to do our bit to help the environment, but some things are easier than others.

“It’s interesting to see certain cities are definitely doing more than others, but at the same time nobody truly reigns supreme.

“There is so much we can each take responsibility for to become more sustainable, and a lot of it is easier than you think.”

The study also found 45 per cent of those polled don’t think they do enough to help the environment by reducing their carbon footprint.

Cities ranked by sustainability

1. York – 270 points

2. Cardiff – 264 points

3. Oxford – 240.5 points

4. Plymouth – 232.5 points

5. Brighton and Newcastle – 222 points

6. Leicester – 217 points

7. Southampton – 215 points

8. Aberdeen – 209.5 points

9. Portsmouth – 207.5 points

10. Coventry – 206.5 points

11. London – 204 points

12. Edinburgh – 200 points

13. Manchester – 197 points

14. Bristol – 196.5 points

15. Liverpool – 196 points

16. Swansea – 195.5 points

17. Gloucester – 191.5 points

18. Wrexham –191 points

19. Sheffield – 181 points

20. Cambridge – 173.5 points

21. Belfast – 170 points

22. Leeds – 167.5 points

23. Glasgow – 148 points

24. Norwich – 130.5 points

25. Birmingham – 127.5 points

26. Wolverhampton – 116 points

Of those who feel this way, 28 per cent believe they cannot afford to be greener, while 17 per cent feel the area where they live doesn’t do enough to make it easier to be sustainable.

However, those polled could turn to Wrexham and Aberdeen for a little inspiration – in two categories at least.

Wrexham has the highest proportion of residents who recycle (83 per cent), with Birmingham at the other end of the scale with just 56 per cent.

The north Wales city also got top marks for flying the least – 1.42 times a year on average – while those in Cardiff fly the most at 3.72 times a year.

However, Wrexham also has the highest proportion of residents who drive petrol or diesel vehicles (75 per cent), with London the lowest with 44 per cent.

While Aberdeen fared the best for using energy-saving light bulbs (98 per cent), Edinburgh and Norwich were joint-worst in this area (84 per cent).

Aberdeen was also top of the tree when it comes to shopping for local produce (98 per cent), while Portsmouth scored lowest (70 per cent).

It also emerged those living in Southampton spend the shortest amount of time in the shower – an average of seven minutes and seven seconds.

In contrast, those living in Norwich spend the longest time in the shower on average – nine minutes and 59 seconds.

Brighton came top for buying fruit and vegetables loose rather than in plastic packaging (48 per cent), while Southampton got the fewest points in this category (29 per cent).

And finally, Portsmouth has the highest proportion of those who give to or buy from charity shops (71 per cent), with Swansea having the lowest (38 per cent).

The musicMagpie study, carried out through OnePoll, also found half of those polled wish they knew more about how to reduce their carbon footprint further.

But 17 per cent revealed they don’t know what information to trust.

Mr Howley added: “One simple thing people can do to make a huge difference, is to consider how they are buying and recycling their tech.

“Buying high quality, refurbished tech ensures the product continues its life-cycle when it is still fully functioning.

“It also stops it from contributing to the increasing problem of e-waste, which is piling up in landfills across the world at an astonishing rate and contributing to 70 per cent of the toxic waste caused by landfill.

“Selling back your unused tech to be recycled or refurbished also reduces this problem and can make you some extra cash in the process.”

SWNS