Underground bins plan to tackle Liverpool's litter problem

Thousands of inner-city homes in Liverpool do not have space for wheelie bins

Underground bins could help tackle Liverpool's "age-old" waste and litter problem, the city's council has said.

Families living in 27,000 terraced inner-city homes have no space for wheelie bins so black bin bags are left in the street.

Councillor Abdul Qadir said the bins would be "a great step forward" for those with few waste disposal choices.

It comes as a charity found Liverpool has a waste problem three times bigger the national average.

The new bins are proposed for 140 locations in built-up areas, many of which will replace some communal bins.

'Ripped bags'

The biggest can hold up to 5,000 litres of refuse, equal to a week's worth of waste for 20 houses.

Mr Qadir, the cabinet member for neighbourhoods, said: "Due to Liverpool having so many terraced streets, particularly to the north and east of the city centre, we've left thousands of families with the limited option of putting black bin bags on the street or in community bins, which are easily accessed."

He described it as a "recipe for a litter festival" that placed extra pressure on council resources.

The Keep Britain Tidy charity found that Liverpool had three times more waste than the national average

The new bins would "radically reduce the issue of ripped black bin bags spilling out on to streets" and related problems such as vermin and bad odour, a council spokeswoman said.

Liverpool Mayor Joanne Anderson said: "We need to consult with communities on the locations but, when installed, these bins will have both an immediate and dramatic impact on the cleanliness of our streets and will save the council a huge amount of time and money for many years to come."

A public consultation is expected to be approved this month and the council hopes the £1.5m scheme will be introduced before this autumn if plans are approved.

Why not follow BBC North West on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram? You can also send story ideas to [e-mail]