Author: John Lally

Recycling Centres operated by Veolia on behalf of Merseyside Recycling and Waste Authority now have emergency defibrillators on all sites.     

A total of 19 defibrillators are now in place at recycling facilities, including the 16 Household Waste Recycling Centres across the region.

With an annual footfall of over 1.5 million visitors, the sites will be set up to save lives should they ever be needed. The cost of the defibrillators has been shared equally by Veolia and Merseyside Recycling and Waste Authority (MRWA).

All of the defibrillators are fully automatic – with visual and voice prompts to guide the rescuer through the entire resuscitation process, including CPR which is a key link in the chain of survival. The equipment analyses heart rhythm and automatically delivers a shock if needed.

Jeff Sears, Director of Veolia Merseyside and Halton, said: “Veolia are extremely proud to partner with MRWA to install defibrillators at key sites across the region. Our sites are visited by over 1.5 million residents every year, so having this vital equipment available to use in an emergency situation could help to save a life.”

Councillor Tony Concepcion, Chairperson of MRWA, said: “We have thousands of visitors to our Centres every week, so while we hope the defibrillators never have to be used it’s reassuring to know that they are there and can be accessed by staff quickly in an emergency.”

ENDS

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Notes to the Editor

Photo caption (left to right): MRWA Chief Executive Carl Beer (left), MRWA Chairperson Councillor Tony Concepcion (centre), & Director of Veolia Merseyside & Halton Jeff Sears (right) at Huyton Household Waste Recycling Centre.

Full list of Household Waste Recycling Centres in Merseyside & Halton:

• Bidston Recycling Centre, Wallasey Bridge Road, Birkenhead CH41 1EB
• Clatterbridge Recycling Centre, Mount Road, Clatterbridge, Wirral, CH63 4JZ
• Formby Recycling Centre Altcar Road, Formby, L37 8DL
• Huyton Recycling Centre, Wilson Road, Huyton, L36 6AD
• Johnsons Lane Recycling Centre, Johnsons Lane, Widnes, WA8 0SJ
• Kirkby Recycling Centre, Depot Road, Knowsley industrial Park, L33 3AR
• Newton Le Willows Recycling Centre, Junction Lane, Newton-le-Willows, WA12 8DN
• Otterspool Recycling Centre, Jericho Lane, Liverpool L17 5AR
• Old Swan Recycling Centre, Cheadle Avenue, Liverpool, L13 3AF
• Picow Farm Recycling Centre, Picow Farm Road, Runcorn, WA7 4UD
• Rainhill Recycling Centre, Tasker Terrace, Rainhill, L35 4NX
• Ravenhead Recycling Centre, Burtonhead Road, St Helens, WA9 5EA
• Sefton Meadows Recycling Centre, Sefton Lane, Maghull, L31 8BT
• South Sefton Recycling Centre, Irlam Road, Bootle, L20 4AE
• Southport Recycling Centre, Foul Lane, Southport, PR8 5LA
• West Kirby Recycling Centre, Greenbank Road, West Kirby, CH48 5HL

About Veolia UK

Veolia group aims to be the benchmark company for ecological transformation. With nearly 179,000 employees worldwide, the Group designs and provides game-changing solutions that are both useful and practical for water, waste and energy management. Through its three complementary business activities, Veolia helps to develop access to resources, preserve available resources, and replenish them. In 2020, the Veolia group supplied 95 million people with drinking water and 62 million people with wastewater service, produced nearly 43 million megawatt hours of energy and treated 47 million metric tons of waste. Veolia Environnement (listed on Paris Euronext: VIE) recorded consolidated revenue of €26.010 billion in 2020. www.veolia.com

For more information visit us at www.veolia.co.uk or follow us on Twitter at www.twitter.com/veoliauk.

About MRWA

Merseyside Recycling and Waste Authority is responsible for the disposal of municipal waste on Merseyside. Established in 1986 following the abolition of Merseyside County Council, it is a statutory Authority that works with all the local authorities on Merseyside – Knowsley, Liverpool, Sefton, St Helens and Wirral. MRWA takes a lead in advocating recycling, waste minimisation and safe and effective disposal of waste for Merseyside’s residents. www.merseysidewda.gov.uk 

 

Liverpool City Region residents will soon have the opportunity to recycle more as Household Waste Recycling Centres open for an extra three hours every day.

From Friday 1st April the region’s Centres will be open from 8.00am until 8.00pm*.

There are 14 Household Waste Recycling Centres in the region. They are operated by resource management company Veolia on behalf of Merseyside Recycling and Waste Authority (MRWA).

Carl Beer, Chief Executive of MRWA, said: “The Recycling Centres accept a range of household materials for recycling, from batteries, cans and cardboard, through to garden clippings, glass bottles, wood, and white goods. They also accept lesser-known items such as food and drink cartons, clothes, hard plastics and electrical items. The lighter summer nights mean we can open for longer.”

Householders can check both www.recycleright.org.uk or www.merseysidewda.gov.uk for details of what can be accepted at their local site.

The Centres provide a popular service for residents and can become extremely busy at peak times so visits should be planned carefully.

There is a system in place for those who wish to visit in a van or with a large trailer. Bookings can be made at www.merseysidewda.gov.uk.

More information on what you can do with your household waste items can be found at www.recycleright.org.uk.

ENDS

NOTES TO EDITORS:

The picture attached is of a Merseyside Household Waste Recycling Centre.

From 1st April 2022 until 30th September 2022 Merseyside’s Household Waste Recycling Centres will be open from 8.00am until 8.00pm*. The Centres are located at:

Knowsley –
Huyton – Wilson Road – L36 6AD
Kirkby – Depot Road, Knowsley Industrial Park – L33 3AR

Liverpool –
Old Swan – Cheadle Avenue – L13 3AF
Otterspool – Jericho Lane, Aigburth – L17 5AR

Sefton –
Formby – Altcar Road, Formby – L37 8EG
Sefton Meadows – Sefton Lane, Maghull – L31 8BX
Southport – Foul Lane, Scarisbrick New Road – PR9 7RG
South Sefton – Irlam Road, Bootle – L20 4AE

St Helens –
Newton-le-Willows – Junction Lane – WA12 8DN
*Rainhill – Tasker Terrace, Rainhill – L35 4NX
Ravenhead – Burtonhead Road, St. Helens – WA9 5EA

Wirral –
Bidston – Wallasey Bridge Road, Birkenhead – CH41 1EB
Clatterbridge – Mount Road, Clatterbridge – CH63 4JZ
West Kirby – Greenbank Road – CH48 5HR

*NB:
Rainhill: Open 9.00am–6.00pm on Saturdays; 9.00am–3.00pm on Sundays

A new campaign has been launched across the Liverpool City Region reminding residents how to make the most of their recycling.

Don’t Treat us Like Rubbish is part of Recycle Right, an initiative led by Merseyside Recycling and Waste Authority, MRWA to help improve recycling rates across the city region. The new campaign is reminding local householders of what can be recycled where and preventing bagged waste and unwanted materials being put into recycling bins.

Councillor Tony Concepcion, Chairperson of MRWA, said: “Items are being put in recycling bins that aren’t currently accepted, and some materials are placed in dirty, or recycling bagged up, which can often ruin entire loads of collected recyclables.

“Our core message is trying to remind residents that recycling is a valuable resource, not just rubbish. We need to keep our recycling clean and leave it loose in our bins.”

The new campaign can be seen on digital media screens around the city region, as well as on social media channels.

Carl Beer, Chief Executive of MRWA said: “Data shows that there is an issue with contamination across the city region which comes from bagged recycling, which is unable to be recycled effectively.

“The campaign is a reminder to everyone about what they can recycle and where they can recycle it. Managing materials and resources sustainably is key in the fight against climate change and having a local environment we can all be proud of.”

For more information about recycling in the Liverpool City Region please visit www.recycleright.org.uk.

ENDS

A share of £165,000 is up for grabs to help community groups make the Liverpool City region a cleaner and greener place.

The funding – made available via the Merseyside Recycling & Waste Authority and Veolia Community Fund 2022/23 – is for community and voluntary groups, schools and not-for-profit organisations, who can reduce household waste, encourage recycling and resource re-use and prevent carbon emissions. The projects will also have to demonstrate wider positive impacts on the environment, health and education.

Chairperson of Merseyside Recycling & Waste Authority (MRWA), Councillor Tony Concepcion, said: “We know that there are a lot of communities concerned about climate change and sustainable living. Giving groups the opportunity to get involved in looking after their environment can only bring benefits to all and can help us appreciate items as valuable resources rather than something which otherwise might be just thrown away.

“We’ve seen that previous projects have continued to deliver benefits beyond the first year, through their legacy and ongoing impact on behavioural change, and in many cases through new or continuing activities.”

Successful applicants can be awarded up to £30,000 for schemes which operate across all six districts in Merseyside and Halton, and between £1000 and £8,000 for projects which work solely at one local authority level.

Bids must tackle one or more of the four priority household waste materials which have been identified by MRWA as key, namely Food, Plastics, Textiles and Furniture. An analysis of waste in the region highlighted that a greater amount of these materials could be re-used or recycled. Projects can also include other household waste materials, for example paper, card, metals.

Previous Community Fund projects have included local recycling guidebooks, cookery clubs to improve people’s diet and reduce food waste, fruit and veg gleaning, restoring old furniture to sell for charity and refurbishing unwanted rugs for resale. In November last year one project held a mock COP26 climate change conference with schoolchildren from across Liverpool City Region to help highlight wasted clothes and textiles.

One group to have previously received funding was Bootle-based Regenerus, who were awarded £8000 in 2020 to deliver their Taking Root project. Visiting local farms and orchards, volunteers were able to pick fresh fruit and vegetables that would have otherwise been disposed of or left to rot, then learned about the different ways to preserve and cook the produce at food workshops.

Ruth Livesey, Business Development Manager at Regenerus, said: “The MRWA Community Fund helped us to deliver a project which stopped food being wasted and that food then got into the hands of those who needed it the most.

“We were able to rescue all sorts of fruit and veg, including cabbage, cauliflowers, onions and pumpkins. We took groups along to our gleaning expeditions, bringing back fresh food which was shared out at our community cook and eat events, as well being distributed to local residents with the help of South Sefton Foodbank.”

Interested groups can download the application form via the MRWA website www.merseysidewda.gov.uk. The deadline for submissions is 11.59pm on Sunday 20th March 2022. If groups aren’t sure whether their project is appropriate for consideration then they can submit an Expression of Interest (EOI) via email to MRWA before Sunday 27th February 2022.

Successful projects should receive the funding by mid May 2022 and will have ten months to deliver their schemes by March 2023.

Organisations interested in this year’s Community Fund can:

• Download the application form and guidance document at www.merseysidewda.gov.uk/what-we-do/supporting-residents-and-community-groups/make-an-application-to-the-community-fund/
• Contact the Authority: communityfund.2022-2023@merseysidewda.gov.uk

DEADLINE FOR SUBMISSION OF APPLICATIONS:

Sunday 20th March 2022, 11.59pm.

 ENDS

Note to editors

Image captions:

MRWA_TAKING ROOT1 – The Renegerus Taking Root team on a glean at a local farm for cabbages

MRWA_Climate_2021B – local school pupils at the mock COP26 Climate and Clothing Conference, Liverpool, 4th November 2021

MRWA_CF2021 – MRWA Community Fund projects event, 14 September 2021

• The £165,000 comes from the Merseyside Recycling & Waste Authority and Veolia Community Fund 2022/23, which has been running annually since 2006.
• The impact of the 2020/21 Fund saw 13 projects divert 291 tonnes of material from disposal, 19,915 people directly engaged, participation of 12,125 volunteer hours, 85 events held, 451 training sessions take place, and a 541 tonne reduction in CO2 equivalent emissions.
• The Merseyside Recycling & Waste Authority and Veolia Community Fund is open to community and voluntary sector groups, faith groups, not for profit social enterprises and schools in Merseyside and Halton.
• Merseyside Recycling and Waste Authority is responsible for the disposal of municipal waste on Merseyside. Established in 1986 following the abolition of Merseyside County Council, it is a statutory Authority that works with all the local authorities on Merseyside – Knowsley, Liverpool, Sefton, St Helens and Wirral. MRWA takes a lead in advocating recycling, waste minimisation and safe and effective disposal of waste for Merseyside residents.

A resource has launched this week that will provide residents across the Liverpool City Region with help, advice and opportunities to start their zero waste journey in their homes and communities.

Zero Waste LCR www.zerowastelcr.com is a new brand featuring a website and supporting social media channels. We are working to achieve zero waste by 2040 and are supporting the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority’s commitment to net zero carbon by 2040.

Zero Waste LCR recognises the important part waste and resources plays in combating the effects of climate change and the adoption of a zero waste circular economy.

Speaking about the launch, Councillor Tony Concepcion, Chairperson of Merseyside Recycling and Waste Authority said: “We want to make the City Region a place where all materials are viewed and valued as usable resources and nothing goes to waste – we need to waste less, and reuse, repair, share and recycle more.

These new resources are a great starting point in bringing together ideas, information and opportunities so that residents across the Liverpool City Region can start their own zero waste journey.”

Carl Beer, Chief Executive of Merseyside Recycling and Waste Authority said: “I would encourage everyone to follow our social media and have a look at the new website.  In the coming weeks and months, we’re going to be launching a range of activities so that residents can get more involved – and we can get their views and ideas going forward.”

ENDS

A new campaign has been launched to stop electrical and electronic equipment from going to waste.

Recycle Right – an initiative led by Merseyside Recycling and Waste Authority (MRWA) to boost recycling – is targeting waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) that is hoarded, or incorrectly disposed of, across the Liverpool City Region.

Launched in January and running into February, ‘Check Your Tech’ adverts will run on digital radio and social media throughout the Liverpool City Region.

Each year in the UK alone, £370m in materials like gold, copper, aluminium and steel are wasted by electrical appliances not being recycled properly.

Whether it’s a broken toaster, or an old mobile phone, electricals contain so many valuable resources that are wasted when they’re not used. MRWA is using the campaign to remind residents that if it has a plug, uses batteries or needs charging it’s an electrical appliance- and we need to keep them out of our bins.

Householders can ask themselves:

• If it is still in working order can it be rehomed?
• If it is broken can it be repaired?
• If it is past the point of repair, can it be recycled?

All the 16 Household Recycling Centres across the Liverpool City Region accept electrical equipment for recycling so we can make the most out of our resources.

Councillor Tony Concepcion, Chairperson of MRWA, said: “Electrical equipment can often be donated, repaired or recycled. As people continue to upgrade and replace their electronic devices, old devices are simply forgotten about, or put in household waste bins. This is a waste of resources that instead could be reused or recycled. Keep them out of your bin and take them to your nearest Household Waste Recycling Centre.”

For more information about recycling in the Liverpool City Region please visit www.recycleright.org.uk.

ENDS

Notes to editors

Image caption:

MRWA_WEEE_2022A – MRWA Chief Executive Carl Beer (left) & MRWA Chairperson Councillor Tony Concepcion (right) at Huyton Household Waste Recycling Centre, January 2022

MRWA_WEEE_2022B – MRWA Chief Executive Carl Beer (left), MRWA Chairperson Councillor Tony Concepcion (centre), & Director of Veolia Merseyside & Halton Jeff Sears (right) at Huyton Household Waste Recycling Centre, January 2022

About MRWA

Merseyside Recycling and Waste Authority is responsible for the disposal of municipal waste on Merseyside. Established in 1986 following the abolition of Merseyside County Council, it is a statutory Authority that works with all the local authorities on Merseyside – Knowsley, Liverpool, Sefton, St Helens and Wirral. MRWA takes a lead in advocating recycling, waste minimisation and safe and effective disposal of waste for Merseyside’s residents. www.merseysidewda.gov.uk

Householders in the Liverpool City Region are being asked to recycle right this Christmas and New Year – but to take care when visiting Recycling Centres and continue to follow the national COVID-19 guidance.

Merseyside Recycling & Waste Authority (MRWA) and its contractor Veolia are reminding local people that the region’s 14 Household Waste Recycling Centres are open most days – except for Christmas Day, Boxing Day and New Year’s Day – from 8.00am until 5.00pm during winter*.

Many items are accepted at Recycling Centres such as cans, cardboard, garden waste (including real Christmas trees), glass jars and bottles, paper, large plastics, scrap metal (including metal artificial trees), textiles, toys and white goods. All the Centres accept electrical items, don’t forget to remove any batteries and recycle them separately.

As the Centres are particularly busy at this time of year, MRWA and Veolia are asking householders to, if possible, consider the following:

• Try and separate your waste before visiting your local Recycling Centre. This way you’ll be able to deposit things more easily and help reduce queues at sites.
• Remove polystyrene and flatten cardboard boxes before placing them into the recycling container – it will take up less room.
• Don’t fly-tip your waste outside a Recycling Centre as this is illegal and you could be fined or prosecuted.
• If using a van or large trailer, you will need to pre-book your visit at  www.merseysidewda.gov.uk
• Wrapping paper can be recycled using your local council’s kerbside recycling bin, bag or box and at your local Household Waste Recycling Centre
• If your wrapping paper has a decorative / shiny / glossy / glittery surface it should be disposed of in your local council’s kerbside residual bin
• Please don’t bring us plastic bags – try to reuse them as much as possible and next time you go shopping why not buy a bag-for-life?
• Avoid putting recyclable items in your black ‘residual’ bin bags. If you cut down on this then there’ll be less chance you’ll have excess black bin bags to bring to your HWRC.
• Bring us your cans and bottles – millions of extra drinks cans and bottles are used during the festive period!
• After Christmas you can bring your real Christmas trees to our Recycling Centres where they’ll be shredded and turned into chippings for compost.
• An excess of oil is used over the Christmas period, with festive food such as turkey, roast potatoes and fry-ups on the menu. Used cooking oil tanks can be found at all Recycling Centres in Merseyside.
• If there are items like toys, electrical items, bric-a-brac you don’t need after Christmas, you could donate them to local charity shops or community groups.
• Households with COVID-19 symptoms should leave waste for at least 72 hours before disposal. Personal waste should be safely double bagged.
• Why not make a New Year’s resolution to recycle more often? Visit www.recycleright.org.uk  for more information about what you can and can’t recycle.

Councillor Tony Concepcion, Chairperson of MRWA, said: “A lot of waste is created at this time of the year so it’s a good chance to boost the region’s recycling levels. Our Recycling Centres will happily accept people’s packaging, bottles and cans – and we’d love your real Christmas trees. Whatever you do, please don’t fly-tip outside the Centres as this is illegal and you could be fined.”

Jeff Sears, Director of Veolia Merseyside & Halton, said: “Recycling Centres will be open throughout the festive period – except Christmas day, Boxing Day and New Year’s Day – so bring all your extra Christmas recycling. Don’t forget to plan ahead and view the layout online before you come to speed up your visit.”

Household Waste Recycling Centres will be CLOSED on the following days ONLY over Christmas and New Year:

CHRISTMAS DAY (Saturday 25th Dec)

BOXING DAY (Sunday 26th Dec)

NEW YEAR’S DAY (Saturday 1st Jan)

 ENDS
…

Notes to the Editor

*except Rainhill – Saturday 9.00am to 5.00pm / Sunday 9.00am to 3.00pm

Merseyside’s Household Waste Recycling Centres:

KNOWSLEY:

Huyton – Wilson Road, Huyton L36 6AD

Kirkby – Depot Road, Knowsley Industrial Park L33 3AR

LIVERPOOL:

Old Swan – Cheadle Avenue L13 3AF

Otterspool – Jericho Lane, Aigburth L17 5AR

SEFTON:

Formby – Altcar Road, Formby L37 8EG

Sefton Meadows – Sefton Lane, Maghull L31 8BX

Southport – Foul Lane, Scarisbrick New Road PR9 7RG

South Sefton – Irlam Road, Bootle L20 4AE

ST HELENS:

Newton-le-Willow – Junction Lane WA12 8DN

Rainhill – Tasker Terrace, Rainhill L35 4NX

Ravenhead – Burtonhead Road, St. Helens WA9 5EA

WIRRAL:

Bidston – Wallasey Bridge Road, Birkenhead CH41 1EB

Clatterbridge – Mount Road, Clatterbridge CH63 6HB

West Kirby – Greenbank Road CH48 5HR

A Wirral-based community group is using Christmas decoration-making to help stop clothes and textiles from going to waste.

Market Street-based Make It Happen Birkenhead is a community Interest Group which is using the festive season to help give their Textiles As Treasure project a boost, as well as providing local people with an opportunity to meet up and swap recycling and reuse ideas.

The project has received nearly £8000 from the Merseyside Recycling & Waste Authority and Veolia Community Fund 2021/22 to help deliver waste reduction, reuse and recycling education in the local community.

Amy Butterworth, CEO at Make It Happen, said: “Our Textiles as Treasure project is aiming to reduce textiles and clothes waste in the local community. Recently we kicked off a run of workshops with card and gift tag making in our brand new space ‘Place of Contribution’ on Argyle street, Birkenhead. We’ve had lots of people drop into the workshops to get crafty and enjoy a hot drink and conversations with others in the community.”

To successfully deliver the project, Make It Happen are:

• working with local partners via a fortnightly collection to gather unwanted textiles
• accepting textiles donations at their Social Supermarket
• sorting, washing and ironing as required and storing donated textiles which are sold in the Make It Happen ‘pay as you feel’ shop
• running fortnightly sewing sessions to show customers how clothing can be repaired, altered and improved
• using social media to encourage people to de-clutter and give away items they no longer use

An estimated 20,000 tonnes* of textiles are discarded from households each year in the Liverpool City Region, a lot of which could still be used. It is this behaviour the project is hoping to change and itself will look to stop 50 tonnes of textiles from going to waste.

 Amy Butterworth continued: “This is the perfect craft for re-using the smaller pieces of fabric that were left over from our other projects this year. Using these fabric scraps we created festive collages onto cards with popular motifs such as presents and pine trees that can be given to others to spread joy. There has been a warm and welcoming atmosphere and sharing of creative ideas and it really is beginning to look a lot like Christmas at Make it Happen!”

One of the workshop participants is local woman Jen Gerritsen, who said: “I’m loving having some ‘me’ time and being creative amongst people. I love the idea of Textiles as Treasure, and the fact that we are recycling and reducing waste.”

Councillor Tony Concepcion, Chairperson at Merseyside Recycling and Waste Authority: “The Christmas period can be a challenging one for many, so it’s great to see one of our community projects involved not just in reuse and recycling, but also in giving people an opportunity to socialise and just be together with others at this time of year.”

Amy Butterworth continued: “By creating a ‘let’s waste less’ culture within the local area we hope we are encouraging people to recycle or donate rather than throw items away. This will reduce local wastage and encourage the participants to discuss with their family and friends how textiles can be reused and show how by being creative items can be reused and have a longer life.”

ENDS

Note to editors

• *Data from Merseyside Waste Composition Analysis 2015
• IMAGE CAPTION (pictures taken before new government Plan B Covid guidelines) – Participants at the Make It Happen workshops in Birkenhead, December 2021
• Merseyside Recycling and Waste Authority is responsible for the disposal of municipal waste on Merseyside. Established in 1986 following the abolition of Merseyside County Council, it is a statutory Authority that works with all the local authorities on Merseyside – Halton, Knowsley, Liverpool, Sefton, St Helens and Wirral. MRWA takes a lead in advocating recycling, waste minimisation and safe and effective disposal of waste for Merseyside residents.
• The MRWA and Veolia Community Fund 2021/22 has seen 17 community groups from Merseyside and Halton receive a funding boost to help make the region a cleaner and greener place. The financial support will see the groups help reduce household waste, encourage recycling and resource re-use, and prevent carbon emissions. Funding total is £164,999.38