Community groups given £165k to help reduce waste

The British Dietetic Association (BDA) will carry on their previously established cooking clubs thanks to new funding

Sixteen community groups have been given a total of £165,000 to help local residents reduce waste.

Organisations across the Liverpool City Region had to bid for funding from the Zero Waste Community Fund, which supports local waste prevention, reuse and recycling initiatives.

The funding, arranged by Merseyside Recycling & Waste Authority (MRWA) and Veolia, will provide the chosen organisations with financial support to deliver waste-reducing projects across the region.

"The impressive ideas this year from local organisations are truly inspiring," said Lesley Worswick, chief executive of MRWA.

Applications have to tackle one, or more, of five priority household waste materials identified by MRWA - including food, furniture, electricals, plastics and textiles.

Mencap Liverpool and Sefton is among the successful organisations to secure funding, with a grant of £4800 awarded to fund a revamp of the garden at the charity's Crosby headquarters.

The learning disability charity said it will be holding workshops including interactive cookery and food waste reduction programmes, affording local people the opportunity to learn new skills.

Marianne Manson, Mencap's volunteering community co-ordinator, said one thing they "really" wanted to learn about was composting, so have approached Liverpool-based social enterprise Compost Works have to deliver workshops.

"We're also going to be hosting some 'swishing' events, where people can bring clothes they no longer wear and swap them for something they will wear."

The successful organisations have until March 2025 to deliver their projects

Ms Manson said all members of the community will be able to take part and learn valuable upcycling skills.

"Instead of buying more things, we want to be saving what we do have and giving it a different use," she said.

"The sessions will be open to the community - and hopefully we will have companies who come to help us on the day."

She added that the charity did not want the project to be something only members used.

"We want everyone in the community to be able to get involved and gain skills from it," she said.

The waste-reducing programmes will also include workshops focused on school waste, a repair café, a children’s toy-lending library and programmes advising how to grown your own food.

“The opportunity to support a local community was a really powerful idea," said Suzanne Mitchell of the British Dietetic Association, which secured funding to run food waste reduction and cookery skills programmes in an earlier iniative.

"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.”

With 56 applications to the fund, MRWA chief Lesley Worswick described the selection process as "tough".

"Many past projects funded by the community fund have lasting benefits," she said.

"They not only leave a positive legacy, but also continue to influence participants' habits through ongoing activities."