Community organisations awarded share of £165k to launch waste reduction initiatives across Liverpool

15 community organisations across the Liverpool City Region have secured a share of a £165k investment to launch innovative waste reduction, reuse, and recycling initiatives.

Delivered through the Zero Waste Community Fund 2026/27 — a partnership between Merseyside Recycling & Waste Authority (MRWA) and Veolia — the funding will empower grassroots projects to tackle high-priority waste including food, textiles, and electronics. These locally-led schemes aim to embed sustainable habits and reduce the region’s carbon footprint by the project deadline in March 2027.

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. The successful projects encompass diverse activities like a travelling textiles education van, cookery classes to reduce food waste, schools assemblies, furniture upcycling workshops and an electronics repair café.

Lesley Worswick, Chief Executive of MRWA, praised the initiative, saying:

“The Zero Waste Community Fund is about turning inspiring ideas into lasting environmental action. We have awarded 15 projects that demonstrate exactly how we can rethink our relationship with ‘waste’ — transforming it instead into a resource for our communities. We eagerly anticipate the results of their hard work as they help us build a cleaner, greener, and healthier region for everyone.”

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.

The impact of the Fund is already evident through previous recipients, such as Crosby-based Mencap Liverpool & Sefton, which in 2023 was awarded £7990 to deliver for the reuse and repair project Fix Up, Look Sharp.

Carolyn McConnell, Chief Executive at Mencap Liverpool & Sefton, said:

“Our Fix Up, Look Sharp project used regular workshops to give people the skills and opportunities to reimagine and repurpose clothes, plastics and furniture. We wanted to equip all our participants with the knowledge and inspiration to rescue, repair and repurpose items that could otherwise have been thrown away.

“Our new project Reuse, Recycle and Repair with Mencap builds on previous work and will run workshops around repair and food waste reduction, as well as hosting swap shops to help launch an onsite charity shop. I hope that we can help people to understand the consequences of unnecessary waste so that everyone engaged with the project is motivated to consume more responsibly.”

The 15 successful 2026/27 organisations have got until March 2027 to deliver their projects.

Visit the Merseyside Recycling & Waste Authority website here.

Find out what’s on across Liverpool this week here.

Find out what’s good up North on our new platform, The Northern Guide. 

From the best hotels, beauty spots, days out, food and more up North – visit thenorthernguide.com and follow The Northern Guide on Instagram HERE.