Mersey community groups funded to the tune of £115,000

Fourteen community groups from Merseyside and Halton have received funding to help boost recycling, re-use and waste prevention in the region.

£115,000 is coming from the Merseyside Recycling and Waste Authority (MRWA) and Veolia Community Fund 2018/19, which has been running annually since 2006. The financial support will help the selected groups to reduce waste, encourage recycling and materials re-use, and prevent carbon emissions.

Some of the projects funded include: The reduction of food waste through cookery clubs and growing local produce, Re-using and upcycling unwanted furniture, Creative sewing classes to encourage textiles re-use, Creating a school garden green space with used plastic bottles, A pop-up re-use shop selling donated goods, Refurbishing and redistributing furniture, clothes and tools.

Successful applicants have been awarded up to £25,000 for schemes which operate across Merseyside and Halton, and up to £8,000 for projects which work solely at local authority level.

Graham Morgan, Chairperson of MRWA, said: “Giving local 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.

“These projects can have a significant impact on their local community and make Merseyside and Halton a cleaner and greener place for us all to live and work.

Carl Beer, Chief Executive of MRWA, said: “The successful applications made it clear that they understand the importance of resource efficiency and community education. We’re really looking forward to seeing what they achieve.”

This year projects 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 Merseyside and Halton in 2016 highlighted that a greater amount of these materials could be re-used or recycled.

The impact of the 2017/18 Fund saw 12 projects deliver 28 full time equivalent jobs (created or safeguarded), participation by 479 volunteers, 29,178 people directly engaged and 1024 tonnes of waste material diverted from landfill*.

The Liverpool-based Neighbourhood Services Company Ltd (NSC) which operates Home Farm at Croxteth Park benefitted from the Community Fund in 2017. The project used money to rescue old and unwanted wood to renovate animal dwellings, as well as enlisting the help of adults with learning difficulties to transform the raw materials into new products which are available to buy in the Craft Shop at the farm. Lisa Jennions, NSC Manager, said: “The ongoing support from MRWA has been invaluable in enabling us to deliver recycling and reuse activities at Home Farm. The project is extremely popular with visitors and it’s great to see new life breathed into what was previously ‘waste’.”

Projects have until March 2019 to deliver their schemes.