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Householders in the Liverpool City Region are being asked to recycle right this Christmas and New Year.

Merseyside Recycling & Waste Authority (MRWA) and its contractor Veolia are reminding local people that the region’s 16 Household Waste Recycling Centres (HWRCs) are open most days – except for Christmas Day, Boxing Day and New Year’s Day.

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.

If visiting a Recycling Centre in a van or with a large trailer (2-3m) then householders need to make an appointment. Bookings can be made online or by telephone on 0151 255 1444. Visits cannot be booked on the same day. For van and trailer bookings at Halton HWRCs, householders should contact Halton Council*.

As the Recycling Centres are particularly busy at this time of year, MRWA and Veolia are asking householders to 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.
  
  
• Wrapping paper (not including plastic wrapping) can be recycled using your local council’s kerbside recycling bin, bag or box and at your local Recycling Centre. If your wrapping paper has a decorative / shiny / glossy / glittery surface it should be disposed of in your local council’s kerbside general waste 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 general waste bin. If you cut down on this then there’ll be less chance you’ll have excess black bin bags to bring to your Recycling Centre.
  
  
• 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 local Recycling Centres.
  
  
• 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.

• Please dispose of old batteries correctly – never put them in your kerbside bins – they can be taken to any Recycling Centre, or alternatively most large shops and supermarkets offer battery recycling points.
  
  
• 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.

Lesley Worswick, Chief Executive 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. The Recycling Centres will happily accept people’s packaging, bottles and cans – and we’d love real Christmas trees. If you are coming in a van – whether that be your own, a hire vehicle or a work van – then make an appointment. And whatever you do, please don’t fly-tip outside the Centres as this is illegal and you could be fined.”

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

CHRISTMAS DAY (Wednesday 25th Dec)

BOXING DAY (Thursday 26th Dec)

NEW YEAR’S DAY (Wednesday 1st Jan)

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Household Waste Recycling Centres:

The MRWA Van Booking line is open Monday to Friday, 8.30pm – 4.00pm. Bookings can also be made online at www.merseysidewda.gov.uk at any time.

Until March 31st 2025 Household Waste Recycling Centres (HWRCs) will be open from 8.00am until 5.00pm*. The Centres are located at:

HALTON:

Runcorn- Picow Farm Road – WA7 4UB

Widnes – Johnsons Lane – WA8 0SJ

*Both Picow Farm Road and Johnsons Lane open 8:00am – 6:00pm. For van and trailer bookings at Halton HWRCs, please contact Halton Council.

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 (Saturday 9.00am to 5.00pm / Sunday 9.00am to 3.00pm)

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 local, green-fingered group have secured funding to help grow food and cut waste – all from their community garden in a Bootle park.

Friends of South Park in Bootle, Sefton, have received £7985 from the Zero Waste Community Fund 2024/25 to deliver the Compost Creators! project. The Fund supports local waste prevention, reuse and recycling initiatives and is managed by Merseyside Recycling & Waste Authority (MRWA) and Veolia.

The food-waste fighting Compost Creators! project will see household kitchen and food waste taken to South Park on Balliol Road (pic below) for composting. The group will deliver food skills and cooking sessions to local residents, who will also take part in food gleaning and seed saving.

Chairperson of Friends of South Park, Nick Karstens, said: “The funding is allowing our project to engage people into thinking differently about types of waste and how they can reuse, recycle, donate or share food they may have at home, creating and contributing to a circular economy on their doorstep. We want to introduce participants to the concepts and methods of preventing food waste and composting and to encourage small changes to daily routines that will contribute to long term positive changes in household waste management.”

The funding will help the project to train new volunteers, giving them knowledge about where food comes from, learning different ways to cook, preserving foods, increase the reuse of containers to store food, and how to recycle food waste through garden composting.

Friends of South Park have just hosted The Great Pumpkin Smash Day for families and the local community (Sat 2nd Nov – pic top) where they encouraged people to bring their carved Halloween pumpkins for composting. For intact pumpkins there was a cooking demo and tasting, to show how to cook and eat leftover pumpkins. Another open day in August attracted 30 families who took part in upcycling craft activities and harvested and cooked food ‘on the spot’ whilst in the garden.

For the eight month long project, Friends of South Park hope to:

– deliver 27 weekly drop-in sessions at the South Park Community Garden

– host two community events (one general food waste/recycling event, one an celebratory end of project community meal for 30 people)

– recruit 20 local households for involvement in community composting

– help 15 people to attend a veggie glean/forage in partnership with the South Sefton Foodbank

– engage with over 400 people

Nick Karstens continued: “We have made a big effort to include families and children as a target audience alongside our volunteers and individuals, to build a future culture of responsibility for waste. By the end of Compost Creators! we hope those involved will be eating a more balanced diet, will have confidence in teaching others about composting and recycling, and will have reduced the amount of food waste they were previously creating.”

Councillor Catie Page, Chairperson of MRWA, said: “We are delighted to support this project. The facts show that on average we throw away an estimated 122,000 tonnes of food every year on Merseyside – that’s almost a third of the average general household waste bin. That includes millions of loaves of bread and litres of milk.

“Food waste is a big issue with significant environmental effects. Projects like Compost Creators can help people to recognise the impact of wasted food and hopefully save households money on grocery bills.”

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Notes to editors

• Image captions: Photographs from The Great Pumpkin Smash Day (Sat 2nd Nov) at South Park, Bootle, Merseyside. 
• 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 prevention and safe and effective disposal of waste for Merseyside residents.
• The MRWA and Veolia Community Fund 2024/25 has seen 16 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 £165,000.00.

Roadworks at Sefton Meadows Household Waste Recycling Centre (Sefton Lane, Maghull).

Please be aware that next week from Monday 21st October there may be some disruption getting in and out of Sefton Meadows Recycling Centre due to a relaying of the carriageway at the entrance.

Work is due to finish on Friday 24^th October.

Thank you for your patience.

A Knowsley-based youth and community centre is on a mission to help local people save money and adopt zero-waste principles in their everyday lives.

Centre 63 in Kirkby has been awarded £7,200 from Merseyside Recycling & Waste Authority (MRWA) and Veolia’s Zero Waste Community Fund to deliver a Community Food & Recycle Hub.

The project includes a ‘Social Supermarket’ which, amongst essentials such as nappies and period products, stocks a variety of plastic-free fresh produce and ethical goods at affordable prices.

For every £10 spent, local shoppers receive around £25-£30 worth of goods in return. Furthermore, the centre often gives away free products which vary from day to day, but have in the past included foods such as fresh bread and fruit teacakes.

Jackie Croft, Chief Executive of Centre 63, said: “We want to make sustainable shopping accessible. The reality is that people primarily want to save money, so it’s then up to us to help them do that in a way which protects the environment. That’s why, where possible, our Social Supermarket stocks items that are locally produced and are either loose or sustainably packaged. We also sell pre-measured portions, as well as food bags which contain recipes and ingredients, to encourage food waste reduction.”

In keeping with its food-related theme, the project also features monthly cooking sessions, designed to help participants eat healthy on a budget.

Additionally, Centre 63 has engaged members of the youth community in starting an environmental garden. Participating children have helped to plant foods such as tomatoes and chillis, with plans to eventually sell the locally grown produce at the Social Supermarket.

Jackie Croft continued: “We’ve found that, as well as bringing members of the community out of social isolation, engaging participants in various activities helps to build momentum. For instance, the food growing sessions will give the kids a better understanding of where our food comes from, whilst creating memories and building skills which they may share with their own children one day.”

Alongside food-related activities, the project encourages reuse through clothes donations and clothes swap events, with recycling sessions also being delivered to help community members know what they can and can’t recycle at home. The latter has been cited as an important measure in alerting residents on the issue of recycling contamination and the waste that it causes.

Councillor Catie Page, MRWA Chairperson, said: “The work that the Centre 63 team is doing is a huge credit to them and their community. Food waste is a major component towards residual waste across Liverpool City Region. This project seeks to genuinely help people by making food affordable, whilst also encouraging important factors such as meal planning and portion measuring. All of this – in addition to the great work which they are doing to encourage reuse and recycling properly at home – is crucial in helping to reduce waste and fight the effects of climate change.”

Beyond the excellent work being carried out as part of the Food & Recycle Hub project, Centre 63 has previously encouraged reuse through the sale of recycled school uniforms at heavily discounted prices. The centre also uses clothes donations that are no longer fit for reuse to create items such as memory cushions during crafts sessions.

To find out more about Centre 63, please visit centre63.org.uk.

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The popular Newton-le-Willows Household Waste Recycling Centre (HWRC) is closing for two weeks to undergo essential maintenance works. 

The site, which is provided by Merseyside Recycling and Waste Authority and operated by Veolia, will close on:

Sunday 22^nd September at 8.00pm,

and will re-open on Monday 7th October at 8.00am.

The temporary closure of the Junction Lane facility is to undertake essential repairs and upgrades to its road markings, kerbstones and drainage. The works will improve traffic access and movement around the site and access to recycling containers.

Closure of the facility will mean that residents should use their next nearest or most convenient Recycling Centre. Residents can use any Recycling Centre across the Liverpool City Region, the nearest to Newton-le-Willows are:

Ravenhead – Burtonhead Road, WA9 5EA

Rainhill – Tasker Terrace, L35 4NX

Huyton – Wilson Road, L36 6AD

Johnsons Lane – Widnes, WA8 0SJ

During the course of the shutdown Veolia will staff the HWRC entrance to direct any visitors to an alternative Recycling Centre.

Cllr Catie Page, MRWA Chairperson, said: “Newton-le-Willows receives over 400 tonnes of material a month from local residents. Due to this demand on the facility essential maintenance is required to ensure the Recycling Centre remains safe for customers and employees. We’re also taking this opportunity to thoroughly check all aspects of the site, undertake any repairs, repaint, review signage and ensure that the site adheres to the high standard required of a public facility.

“We would encourage residents to use an alternative Recycling Centre or hold on until Newton-le-Willows re-opens.”

Residents using Newton-le-Willows over the next few weeks will be able to see the closure information on www.merseysidewda.gov.uk, on banners at the site, and an information leaflet which details all of the nearest sites for them to use during the temporary closure.

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Merseyside Recycling and Waste Authority have today launched a new campaign which provides a unique and informative view of the journey of recycling across Liverpool City Region.

Through a newly created series of videos, residents from Halton, Knowsley, Liverpool, Sefton, St Helens and Wirral can learn more about where their recycling goes once collected from kerbside, and how it is sorted for reprocessing and redistribution to the recycling markets.

Combined, the six districts of Liverpool City Region currently hold an average household recycling rate of 34.74%.

This figure provides a foundation to build from – however, the Authority recognises that collectively as a city region, we can do much better.

The Journey of Recycling campaign has therefore been launched to build trust in the recycling process and to remind residents how they can recycle right – all in a bid to boost recycling rates.

Lesley Worswick, Chief Executive of Merseyside Recycling and Waste Authority, said: “We all know how the simple act of placing items in our recycling collections can become ‘out of sight, out of mind’.

“That’s why, with the Journey of Recycling campaign, we are keen to give residents a behind-the-scenes insight which will equip them with more knowledge on how their recycling efforts can discourage unnecessary waste and make a real difference.

“In addition to displaying the sorting and end processes of each recyclable material, our suite of videos provides a reminder of what materials can be recycled in each of the districts and how to avoid recycling contamination.

“These are all important factors in ensuring that we recycle right.”

Cllr Catie Page, Chair of Merseyside Recycling and Waste Authority, said: “As an Authority, we are always keen to help residents understand that reducing the amount of stuff we buy – as well as repairing and reusing what we can – are great habits to adopt to protect our environment for current and future generations.

“However, we also know that recycling the materials we can in the correct manner also plays a key role in supporting this effort.

“If anyone is ever unsure about what they can recycle at home, we encourage you to watch our Journey of Recycling videos.

“Residents can also visit recycleright.org.uk, which is a really helpful resource that is full of information on what can be recycled at home and at our Household Waste Recycling Centres.”

To view the full suite of Journey Recycling videos, please visit https://recycleright.org.uk/do-it-right/journey-of-recycling/.

Residents across Liverpool City Region can also view the videos via the official Recycle Right Facebook, Instagram and Twitter pages.

Sixteen community groups have been awarded a share of £165,000 to help the residents of Liverpool City Region reduce, reuse and recycle more.

The money has come from the Zero Waste Community Fund 2024/25, which supports local waste prevention, reuse and recycling initiatives. The Fund is arranged by Merseyside Recycling & Waste Authority (MRWA) and Veolia.

Earlier this year the organisations had to bid for the funding which will give them the financial support to deliver waste-reducing behavioural change projects across the region.

Programmes include schools waste workshops, a repair cafe, cookery lessons to reduce food waste, clothes and textiles upcycling, a children’s toy lending library, restoration of unwanted furniture, food growing and community composting, amongst other things.

Chief Executive of Merseyside Recycling and Waste Authority (MRWA), Lesley Worswick, said: “The Community Fund helps groups to become environmental stewards, creating a healthier place for everyone. Thankfully, our society is increasingly recognising the value in resources – they’re not just disposable items.

“The impressive ideas this year from local organisations are truly inspiring, and with 56 applications, the selection process was tough. Many past projects funded by the Community Fund have lasting benefits. They not only leave a positive legacy, but also continue to influence participants’ habits through ongoing activities.

“I wish all projects the best and look forward to seeing the impact they have.”

Project applications had to tackle one or more of the five priority household waste materials which have been identified by MRWA as key, namely Food, Furniture, Electricals, Plastics and Textiles. An analysis* of waste in the Liverpool City Region highlighted that a greater amount of these materials could be reused or recycled.

One project to previously clinch funding is the British Dietetic Association (BDA) who have been running food waste reduction and cookery skills programmes thanks to the Community Fund.

Suzanne Mitchell of the BDA said: “The opportunity to support a local community was a really powerful idea. We hope we’ve inspired households to think about new ways to save money by reducing the amount of food they throw away and growing their own produce.”

The successful organisations have got until March 2025 to deliver their projects.

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The successful projects:

Organisation and Project	Material focus	Project Summary
British Dietetic Association   Waste Warriors	Food	This project will train up 17 ‘Leaders’ to support 12 Cooking Clubs. The programme will engage with 2,000 people face to face and will produce e-learning resources to prevent food wastage and food packaging, across home, school and public events. There will be resources, equipment and grants for clubs to deliver sessions focussing on cookery, growing and composting.
Centre63   Centre63 Community Food & Recycle Hub	Food, Textiles and Furniture	Centre 63 will provide pantry use and food waste prevention training, as well as composting and growing food. They will also set up a sustainable shopping by Zero Waste lifestyle store, offering loose dry goods, organic options and plastic-free groceries on a not-for-profit basis. Monthly cooking sessions will be provided on how to eat healthily on a budget. Clothing swaps and upcycling/furniture restoration will also make up the project.
Dovecot and Princess Drive Community Association   The Drive Repair Cafe	WEEE (electrical waste) & Textiles	A local repair café will host experts including seamstress, electrician, clock repairer, cobbler and a joiner who will fix items free of charge.
Friends of South Park   Compost Creators!	Food	This food growing and composting project will see household kitchen/food waste taken to a local park for composting. Food skills and cooking sessions will be delivered to local residents, who will also take part in food gleaning and seed saving.
Gateway Collective   Gateway Craft Cafe	Textiles	15 textiles repair and upcycling workshops supported by the ‘sew by lovely sisters’, held every two weeks termtime. Online access also available for further participants. Links to school and school inclusive hub for holiday children’s groups.
The Let’s Cook Project   Let’s Cook More to Waste Less!	Food	Let’s Cook will deliver cooking and food waste demonstrations in partnership with FareShare Community Food Members. A one day conference will launch the project with 100 attendees representing 50 engaged CFM clubs.
Liverpool Lighthouse   Sew & Co	Textiles	The Anfield-based charity provides a sewing group that teaches sewing skills, including a focus on re-fashioning old worn and damaged clothes into new items and mending items, providing an alternative to ‘fast fashion’.
Liverpool World Centre   The Great Schools Climate Assembly	Education	This project will amplify young people’s voices on issues around waste, energy consumption and living sustainably, and bring them together with key local, regional and national stakeholders through the use of the Citizens Assembly model. Young people (aged 11- 18) taking part in the project will become ambassadors for change within their school.
Mencap Liverpool and Sefton   Mencap Cottage – The Big Garden Revamp	Food, Furniture, Textiles	Working with people who have learning difficulties and people with mental health needs, Mencap Liverpool & Sefton will deliver Swap Shops, cookery and food waste reduction classes, as well as a Grow your own swap shops and a community garden upgrade using recycled and repurposed materials.
North Birkenhead Development Trust   Refresh	Furniture	‘Refresh’ is a project that aims to establish a weekly drop-in upcycling session at the St James Centre on Laird Street. It will be a dedicated space for community members to learn new skills by upcycling furniture, either by bringing their own items, or utilising donated furniture.
The Reader   Recalled to Life	Furniture	The charity based in Calderstones Park will receive unwanted and donated furniture for restoration, whilst training and giving volunteers key upcycling skills and knowledge.
Rule of Threes Arts Ltd   Rule of Threes	Food & WEEE (electrical waste)	This food waste-based project will offer a kitchen equipment lending library, preserving jars, fruit press, cake tins and other food-saving items. It will also glean food from their community garden and offer practical skills in preparing, preserving, pickling, fermenting etc.
Sustainable Starts CIC   Sustainable Starts Toy Library	Textiles & Toys	Sustainable Starts CIC works with families to support and inspire them toward a more sustainable family life. We do this through Liverpool Cloth Nappy Library, children’s clothes swaps and a playgroup where families can explore sustainability with their children. The funding will be used to expand the lending Library with toys and baby items.
Vibe Charitable Incorporated Organisation   Feed the Need	Food	Vibe will distribute shopping lists, meal planning sheets and reusable containers as physical ways to support people to make improvements by careful planning to reduce overspending/shopping and utilising leftovers. The project will also produce an educational video of food saving and food challenges.
Wirral Change   Second Stitch and Zero Waste Plate	Food & Textiles	Second Stitch is about fixing, reusing, and transforming old clothes to fight against wasting fabrics. Wirral Change will also teach people from local ethnic minority communities how to make their clothes last longer and even turn them into something new through fun workshops.
Wirral Environmental Network   Wirral Clothes Swap Cafes	Textiles	Wirral Environmental Network (WEN), Indigo Venue and Wirral community groups and organisations will reduce waste and promote sustainability through community-driven Clothes Swap Cafés at various locations across the Wirral. The Clothes Swap Cafes will be interspersed with workshops and activities focused on sustainable fashion and reuse.

*Statistic from Merseyside and Halton Waste Composition Analysis 2021/22

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 Zero Waste Community Fund 2024/25 – is for community and voluntary groups, schools and not-for-profit organisations, who can reduce household waste, encourage recycling and resource reuse and prevent carbon emissions.

There is up to £30,000 for projects which cover a minimum of four City Region districts, and between £1000 and £8,000 available for projects which work solely at one local authority level.

Chairperson of Merseyside Recycling & Waste Authority (MRWA), Councillor Catie Page, said: “We are so grateful for the partnerships we have with the region’s community groups. They are the backbone of our communities, the ones who are working on the ground to make a difference.

“Giving groups the opportunity to get involved in looking after their environment brings benefits to all and can help us appreciate items as valuable resources rather than something which otherwise might be just thrown away.”

Bids must tackle one or more of the five priority household waste materials which have been identified by MRWA as key, namely WEEE (Waste Electrical & Electronic Equipment), Food, Textiles, Plastics 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 or metals.

Previous Community Fund projects have included local recycling guidebooks, cookery clubs to support healthy eating and reduce food waste, fruit and veg gleaning, restoring old furniture to sell for charity and refurbishing unwanted rugs for resale.

One organisation to have previously received funding is Toxteth-based Liverpool World Centre, who have been running clothes and textiles waste education programmes throughout the region.

Jacquie Ayre, Global Learning Education Officer at Liverpool World Centre, said: “Our projects in the past and the current one ‘Re-think The Waste Revolution’ work closely with teachers and youth group leaders – supported by our partner Faiths4change – to give them the confidence, knowledge, understanding and skills needed to initiate conversations within  their settings.

“Currently we are supporting the creation of groups of young people to become peer led waste educators to deliver the rethinking waste message and engage with others to think critically about consumption. We anticipate these messages becoming more embedded in community and school settings and consequently behaviour around textile, food and electrical waste will start to change and waste will be reduced.”

A celebration event for the Community Fund was held on Tuesday 6^th February, which brought together previous and current projects.

Interested groups can apply via www.merseysidewda.gov.uk.  

The deadline for submissions is 11.59pm on Sunday 10th March 2024.

Successful projects should receive the funding by mid April 2024 and will have to deliver their schemes by March 2025.

Organisations interested in this year’s Community Fund can:

• Apply online at www.merseysidewda.gov.uk  

• Contact the Authority:

Community.fund@merseysidewda.gov.uk   

DEADLINE FOR SUBMISSION OF APPLICATIONS:

Sunday 10^th March 2024, 11.59pm

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