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A Liverpool charity has spent the last year on a mission to stop clothes and textiles from being wasted – with the help of local youngsters.

The Recycle, Refashion, Recreate project has been developed by the Dovecot and Princess Drive Community Association, which provides breakfast, lunch clubs and other activities for children affected by poverty and deprivation.

The Finch Lane-based Association was awarded a grant of £5,640 by the Merseyside Recycling and Waste Authority & Veolia Community Fund 2021/22 to help deliver the project which has provided local children and families access to sewing and craft clubs, and re-fashioning classes.

Joanne Kennedy, Community Development & Partnerships Manager at Dovecot and Princess Drive Community Association, said: “We know great strides have been taken in recent years to improve recycling habits but there is still a long way to go. Our project has helped to highlight the importance of recycling and the positive impact this will have on the planet for future generations.”

An estimated 20,000 tonnes* of textiles are discarded from households each year in the Liverpool City Region, a lot of which could still be used. It is this behaviour the project is hoping to change and itself will look to stop several tonnes of clothing material from going to waste.

Joanne Kennedy continued: “Our project has been educational, fun and engaging which we believe will lead to environmental improvements in our local area. The Refashioning element of the project has helped to prevent textile waste and bring back to life items of clothing that would have otherwise ended up going to waste.”

Recycle, Refashion, Recreate will be coming to an end this month, and the Dovecot and Princess Drive Community Association will have:

– ran two sewing classes for ten people each over six weeks,
– put on ‘refashioning’ classes with a fashion tutor for 10 people over eight weeks,
– engaged with 48 nursery-aged children and 270 schoolchildren to increase their knowledge about textiles and recycling, including a crafts session with local author Jude Lennon
– run 30 Family Sessions
– put on an end-of-project Fashion Show for project participants, friends and family.

Local writer Jude Lennon, author of That’s Our Home, a children’s book about the effects of waste on coastlines, held a crafts class at East Prescot Road Nursey School to help teach pupils about reuse and recycling. She said: “We all need to protect and care for our planet and children can help with this from a very early age. Reading books about the environment and looking after it can be a great starting point for children’s understanding of the world around them.

“Taking rubbish home from a picnic or using re-usable lunch boxes are water bottles are really easy ways for children to be involved. Children can also be brilliant advocates themselves. Whereas adults may not listen to other adults about concerns for the environment, they may listen to children and then do something to help. We all need a greener, healthier planet for future generations to enjoy.”

Councillor Tony Concepcion, Chairperson of Merseyside Recycling & Waste Authority (MRWA), said: “Data shows that there are high quantities of textiles like clothes placed in recycling and household waste bins across kerbside collections in the Liverpool City Region. However, textiles shouldn’t go into bins. Instead, Recycling Centres, charities, local bring banks all accept clothes and textiles where they will go on to be recycled or reused.

“Projects like Recycle, Refashion, Recreate can help have a real positive influence to see textiles waste reduced.”

Joanne Kennedy continued: “This project isn’t just about waste, but also about the wellbeing of those who take part. We hope it has helped to bring the community together, reduce loneliness and social isolation as well as bridging the intergenerational divide. Participants are learning a life skill in sewing that we will encourage them to share with family members. This will save money, extend the life of garments and prevent clothing going to waste.

“We want to give young people the confidence to express themselves and give them an opportunity to showcase their work – increasing their confidence and boosting their self-esteem.”

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Note to editors

• Image captions – Pupils at East Prescot Road Nursery School during a crafts class with local author Jude Lennon, April 2022. (Photographs taken by Alison Dodd Photography.) Permission granted by parents/guardians.
• *Data from Merseyside Waste Composition Analysis 2015
• 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 minimisation and safe and effective disposal of waste for Merseyside residents.
• The MRWA and Veolia Community Fund 2021/22 has seen 17 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 £164,999.38

A social enterprise has been working with schoolchildren across Liverpool to help in the battle against waste and climate change.

Farm Urban – which delivers education and innovative solutions to sustainable food growing in communities – has been running the Future Food Heroes project since receiving a £19,580 grant from the Merseyside Recycling & Waste Authority and Veolia Community Fund 2021/22.

The project has seen Farm Urban work with six primary schools from across the city region, teaching pupils in a dozen classes about sustainable food growing and food waste, while setting up a food ecosystem in each class.

According to national charity WRAP*, 70% of all food that’s thrown away in the UK comes from our homes, and 4.5million tonnes of edible food is thrown away each year by UK households. A lot of this could still be used and would save the average family around £700 a year in grocery costs. It is this behaviour the project is hoping to have an impact upon.

 

Paul Myers, Managing Director of Farm Urban, said: “This project has been about getting pupils to engage with the problem of food waste and providing resources to help them develop their own solutions.

“Supporting parents, guardians and family members to engage with the pupils in these projects will encourage them to continue the project once the initial activity has been completed. We hope we have been laying the groundwork for projects that will extend well beyond the end of our own.”

Future Food Heroes is nearing its completion, and by May Farm Urban will have:

– Delivered practical workshops introducing school pupils to key elements of an urban food ecosystem, including growing mushrooms using cardboard and spent coffee, and growing edible plants together with fish in an aquaponic system.

– Placed urban food ecosystems in classes across six schools to educate pupils about a zero-waste approach to food waste.

– Created Future Food Ambassadors who it’s hoped will influence family and friends by encouraging less wasteful food habits.

– Given 12-month access to an online 6-week learning programme, the Future Food Heroes Challenge, which includes guided experiments around the living labs in the classroom and activities for pupils.

– Prevented almost 15 tonnes of food from going to waste.

Carl Beer, Chief Executive of Merseyside Recycling & Waste Authority, said: “The link between food waste and climate change is clear – 30% of global greenhouse gases are created from the production and distribution of food, whilst 81% of UK citizens are concerned about climate change, but only 32% see a link to food waste*. We must help people to recognise the relationship between waste and climate. This project is helping to do that by engaging with pupils and their families by giving them the knowledge and skills to make a difference.”

Smithdown Primary in Liverpool has been one of the schools involved in the project, and Year 5 Teacher Nikita Allt said: “The children have been really inspired and motivated by the project as it has provided them with ways in which they can be a force of change – it has been lovely to see!”

 

Jan, a pupil at Smithdown Primary pupils, said: “I really liked learning about the produce pod and watching the food grow. It was cool knowing that we are fighting climate change.”

Another Smithdown Primary pupil, Leema, said: “I didn’t know that food waste had such an impact on our carbon footprint so I have loved using the produce pod and learning more about how we can fight it.”

Paul Myers continued: “At the very core of urban farming is the aim of reducing the environmental impact of current food production, so the children who have participated on this programme will be contributing towards its goals. By establishing, inspiring and motivating young ambassadors, the wider environmental impacts of this project will have a long-lasting, positive effect on the environment for years to come, promoting systemic change in families to improve their sustainable lifestyles.”

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Notes to editors:

* Figures from Waste Resources Action Programme (WRAP) https://www.lovefoodhatewaste.com/article/wasting-food-feeds-climate-change / https://www.lovefoodhatewaste.com/it-all-adds-up/ 

Picture captions:

MRWA_FARM_2022A – (left to right) Paul Myers (Farm Urban) and Nikita Allt (Year 5 teacher, Smithdown Primary School) with pupils.

MRWA_FARM_2022B – Pupils at Smithdown Road Primary School, Liverpool

– The Merseyside Recycling & Waste Authority and Veolia Community Fund is open to community and voluntary sector groups, faith groups, not for profit social enterprises and schools in Merseyside and Halton.

– The impact of the 2020/21 Fund saw 13 projects divert 291 tonnes of material from disposal, 19,915 people directly engaged, participation of 12,125 volunteer hours, 85 events held, 451 training sessions take place, and a 541 tonnes reduction in CO2 equivalent emissions.

– 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 – Knowsley, Liverpool, Sefton, St Helens and Wirral. MRWA takes a lead in advocating recycling, waste minimisation and safe and effective disposal of waste for Merseyside residents.

– Farm Urban is a social enterprise established in 2014 that delivers innovative solutions to sustainable growing food in cities and educates communities on how to do this. In 2019 they installed Liverpool’s first vertical farm in the Baltic Triangle, continuing their mission to find more efficient and sustainable ways to produce food by systematically reducing food waste and plastic packaging, creating more circular urban food systems and driving bottom-up behaviour change to our food systems.

The second annual Food Waste Action Week begins Monday 7 March.

It will raise people’s awareness of the huge impact of household food waste on climate change and share practical advice, food savvy behaviours and tips on how we can all easily reduce the food we waste in our homes.

We throw away 6.6 million tonnes of household food waste a year in the UK. This food waste is responsible for nearly 25 million tonnes of CO2 emissions, equivalent to 5.4% of the UK’s territorial emissions. The majority, 4.5 million tonnes is food that could have been eaten and is worth approximately £14 billion (or £60 a month an average family with two children). It requires an area almost the size of Wales to produce all the food and drink currently wasted in the UK.

Love Food Hate Waste runs an annual survey of people’s habits and knowledge around food waste. This highlighted that 81% of UK citizens are concerned about climate change, but only 32% see a clear link with food waste. The survey helped to inform the theme of the Week and the development of materials to motivate people to act. This year, Love Food Hate Waste found that the public’s relationship with its freezers has become particularly frosty with many people not knowing how to safely freeze and defrost their food.

Sarah Clayton, Love Food Hate Waste, “Getting to grips with freezing and defrosting are big factors in preventing food from going to waste at home. At a time of rising food prices alongside huge public concern about climate change, tackling food waste at home is one way we can all make a difference and save money. For the average family with children, the cost of binning food can be more than £700 per year. So, Food Waste Action Week is all about avoiding being savvy in how we store but then use our food.”

For more information see www.lovefoodhatewaste.com.

A new campaign has been launched across the Liverpool City Region reminding residents how to make the most of their recycling.

Don’t Treat us Like Rubbish is part of Recycle Right, an initiative led by Merseyside Recycling and Waste Authority, MRWA to help improve recycling rates across the city region. The new campaign is reminding local householders of what can be recycled where and preventing bagged waste and unwanted materials being put into recycling bins.

Councillor Tony Concepcion, Chairperson of MRWA, said: “Items are being put in recycling bins that aren’t currently accepted, and some materials are placed in dirty, or recycling bagged up, which can often ruin entire loads of collected recyclables.

“Our core message is trying to remind residents that recycling is a valuable resource, not just rubbish. We need to keep our recycling clean and leave it loose in our bins.”

The new campaign can be seen on digital media screens around the city region, as well as on social media channels.

Carl Beer, Chief Executive of MRWA said: “Data shows that there is an issue with contamination across the city region which comes from bagged recycling, which is unable to be recycled effectively.

“The campaign is a reminder to everyone about what they can recycle and where they can recycle it. Managing materials and resources sustainably is key in the fight against climate change and having a local environment we can all be proud of.”

For more information about recycling in the Liverpool City Region please visit www.recycleright.org.uk.

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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 Merseyside Recycling & Waste Authority and Veolia Community Fund 2022/23 – is for community and voluntary groups, schools and not-for-profit organisations, who can reduce household waste, encourage recycling and resource re-use and prevent carbon emissions. The projects will also have to demonstrate wider positive impacts on the environment, health and education.

Chairperson of Merseyside Recycling & Waste Authority (MRWA), Councillor Tony Concepcion, said: “We know that there are a lot of communities concerned about climate change and sustainable living. Giving 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.

“We’ve seen that previous projects have continued to deliver benefits beyond the first year, through their legacy and ongoing impact on behavioural change, and in many cases through new or continuing activities.”

Successful applicants can be awarded up to £30,000 for schemes which operate across all six districts in Merseyside and Halton, and between £1000 and £8,000 for projects which work solely at one local authority level.

Bids 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 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, card, metals.

Previous Community Fund projects have included local recycling guidebooks, cookery clubs to improve people’s diet and reduce food waste, fruit and veg gleaning, restoring old furniture to sell for charity and refurbishing unwanted rugs for resale. In November last year one project held a mock COP26 climate change conference with schoolchildren from across Liverpool City Region to help highlight wasted clothes and textiles.

One group to have previously received funding was Bootle-based Regenerus, who were awarded £8000 in 2020 to deliver their Taking Root project. Visiting local farms and orchards, volunteers were able to pick fresh fruit and vegetables that would have otherwise been disposed of or left to rot, then learned about the different ways to preserve and cook the produce at food workshops.

Ruth Livesey, Business Development Manager at Regenerus, said: “The MRWA Community Fund helped us to deliver a project which stopped food being wasted and that food then got into the hands of those who needed it the most.

“We were able to rescue all sorts of fruit and veg, including cabbage, cauliflowers, onions and pumpkins. We took groups along to our gleaning expeditions, bringing back fresh food which was shared out at our community cook and eat events, as well being distributed to local residents with the help of South Sefton Foodbank.”

Interested groups can download the application form via the MRWA website www.merseysidewda.gov.uk. The deadline for submissions is 11.59pm on Sunday 20th March 2022. If groups aren’t sure whether their project is appropriate for consideration then they can submit an Expression of Interest (EOI) via email to MRWA before Sunday 27th February 2022.

Successful projects should receive the funding by mid May 2022 and will have ten months to deliver their schemes by March 2023.

Organisations interested in this year’s Community Fund can:

• Download the application form and guidance document at www.merseysidewda.gov.uk/what-we-do/supporting-residents-and-community-groups/make-an-application-to-the-community-fund/
• Contact the Authority: communityfund.2022-2023@merseysidewda.gov.uk

DEADLINE FOR SUBMISSION OF APPLICATIONS:

Sunday 20th March 2022, 11.59pm.

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Note to editors

Image captions:

MRWA_TAKING ROOT1 – The Renegerus Taking Root team on a glean at a local farm for cabbages

MRWA_Climate_2021B – local school pupils at the mock COP26 Climate and Clothing Conference, Liverpool, 4th November 2021

MRWA_CF2021 – MRWA Community Fund projects event, 14 September 2021

• The £165,000 comes from the Merseyside Recycling & Waste Authority and Veolia Community Fund 2022/23, which has been running annually since 2006.
• The impact of the 2020/21 Fund saw 13 projects divert 291 tonnes of material from disposal, 19,915 people directly engaged, participation of 12,125 volunteer hours, 85 events held, 451 training sessions take place, and a 541 tonne reduction in CO2 equivalent emissions.
• The Merseyside Recycling & Waste Authority and Veolia Community Fund is open to community and voluntary sector groups, faith groups, not for profit social enterprises and schools in Merseyside and Halton.
• 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 – Knowsley, Liverpool, Sefton, St Helens and Wirral. MRWA takes a lead in advocating recycling, waste minimisation and safe and effective disposal of waste for Merseyside residents.

A new campaign has been launched to stop electrical and electronic equipment from going to waste.

Recycle Right – an initiative led by Merseyside Recycling and Waste Authority (MRWA) to boost recycling – is targeting waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) that is hoarded, or incorrectly disposed of, across the Liverpool City Region.

Launched in January and running into February, ‘Check Your Tech’ adverts will run on digital radio and social media throughout the Liverpool City Region.

Each year in the UK alone, £370m in materials like gold, copper, aluminium and steel are wasted by electrical appliances not being recycled properly.

Whether it’s a broken toaster, or an old mobile phone, electricals contain so many valuable resources that are wasted when they’re not used. MRWA is using the campaign to remind residents that if it has a plug, uses batteries or needs charging it’s an electrical appliance- and we need to keep them out of our bins.

Householders can ask themselves:

• If it is still in working order can it be rehomed?
• If it is broken can it be repaired?
• If it is past the point of repair, can it be recycled?

All the 16 Household Recycling Centres across the Liverpool City Region accept electrical equipment for recycling so we can make the most out of our resources.

Councillor Tony Concepcion, Chairperson of MRWA, said: “Electrical equipment can often be donated, repaired or recycled. As people continue to upgrade and replace their electronic devices, old devices are simply forgotten about, or put in household waste bins. This is a waste of resources that instead could be reused or recycled. Keep them out of your bin and take them to your nearest Household Waste Recycling Centre.”

For more information about recycling in the Liverpool City Region please visit www.recycleright.org.uk.

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Notes to editors

Image caption:

MRWA_WEEE_2022A – MRWA Chief Executive Carl Beer (left) & MRWA Chairperson Councillor Tony Concepcion (right) at Huyton Household Waste Recycling Centre, January 2022

MRWA_WEEE_2022B – MRWA Chief Executive Carl Beer (left), MRWA Chairperson Councillor Tony Concepcion (centre), & Director of Veolia Merseyside & Halton Jeff Sears (right) at Huyton Household Waste Recycling Centre, January 2022

About MRWA

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 – Knowsley, Liverpool, Sefton, St Helens and Wirral. MRWA takes a lead in advocating recycling, waste minimisation and safe and effective disposal of waste for Merseyside’s residents. www.merseysidewda.gov.uk

A Wirral-based community group is using Christmas decoration-making to help stop clothes and textiles from going to waste.

Market Street-based Make It Happen Birkenhead is a community Interest Group which is using the festive season to help give their Textiles As Treasure project a boost, as well as providing local people with an opportunity to meet up and swap recycling and reuse ideas.

The project has received nearly £8000 from the Merseyside Recycling & Waste Authority and Veolia Community Fund 2021/22 to help deliver waste reduction, reuse and recycling education in the local community.

Amy Butterworth, CEO at Make It Happen, said: “Our Textiles as Treasure project is aiming to reduce textiles and clothes waste in the local community. Recently we kicked off a run of workshops with card and gift tag making in our brand new space ‘Place of Contribution’ on Argyle street, Birkenhead. We’ve had lots of people drop into the workshops to get crafty and enjoy a hot drink and conversations with others in the community.”

To successfully deliver the project, Make It Happen are:

• working with local partners via a fortnightly collection to gather unwanted textiles
• accepting textiles donations at their Social Supermarket
• sorting, washing and ironing as required and storing donated textiles which are sold in the Make It Happen ‘pay as you feel’ shop
• running fortnightly sewing sessions to show customers how clothing can be repaired, altered and improved
• using social media to encourage people to de-clutter and give away items they no longer use

An estimated 20,000 tonnes* of textiles are discarded from households each year in the Liverpool City Region, a lot of which could still be used. It is this behaviour the project is hoping to change and itself will look to stop 50 tonnes of textiles from going to waste.

Amy Butterworth continued: “This is the perfect craft for re-using the smaller pieces of fabric that were left over from our other projects this year. Using these fabric scraps we created festive collages onto cards with popular motifs such as presents and pine trees that can be given to others to spread joy. There has been a warm and welcoming atmosphere and sharing of creative ideas and it really is beginning to look a lot like Christmas at Make it Happen!”

One of the workshop participants is local woman Jen Gerritsen, who said: “I’m loving having some ‘me’ time and being creative amongst people. I love the idea of Textiles as Treasure, and the fact that we are recycling and reducing waste.”

Councillor Tony Concepcion, Chairperson at Merseyside Recycling and Waste Authority: “The Christmas period can be a challenging one for many, so it’s great to see one of our community projects involved not just in reuse and recycling, but also in giving people an opportunity to socialise and just be together with others at this time of year.”

Amy Butterworth continued: “By creating a ‘let’s waste less’ culture within the local area we hope we are encouraging people to recycle or donate rather than throw items away. This will reduce local wastage and encourage the participants to discuss with their family and friends how textiles can be reused and show how by being creative items can be reused and have a longer life.”

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Note to editors

• *Data from Merseyside Waste Composition Analysis 2015
• IMAGE CAPTION (pictures taken before new government Plan B Covid guidelines) – Participants at the Make It Happen workshops in Birkenhead, December 2021
• 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 minimisation and safe and effective disposal of waste for Merseyside residents.
• The MRWA and Veolia Community Fund 2021/22 has seen 17 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 £164,999.38

Schools from across the Liverpool City Region have banded together in an effort to combat climate change and to stop clothes from being wasted.

The project Fashion Fix: Fixing clothes and changing behaviours to reduce textile consumption and waste is the creation of Toxteth-based Liverpool World Centre and environmental charity Faiths4Change, who have been awarded £17,000 by the Merseyside Recycling and Waste Authority & Veolia Community Fund 2021/22 to help deliver the project.

An estimated 20,000 tonnes of textiles are discarded from households each year in the Liverpool City Region, a lot of which could still be used. It is this behaviour the project is hoping to change and itself will look to stop ten tonnes of clothing material from going to waste.

Liverpool World Centre anticipates that up to 4000 pupils, teachers and parents will be educated and engaged in the topic of textiles waste by the conclusion of the scheme come March 2022.

Pablo Guidi, Director at Liverpool World Centre, said: “Fashion Fix refers to both the repairing of clothes and also the addiction to fashion consumption and the effects of so-called fast fashion. We are hoping to raise awareness of the clothing journey from production to disposal, give local teachers the skills to support fashion fixes in their schools and create student Fashion Fixers and Climate Champions to help lead reduce, reuse and recycling campaigns.”

The objectives of Fashion Fix are to:

– create 20 Fashion Fixers who will influence their peers in school to reuse, reduce and recycle textiles

– increase pupil knowledge, skills and understanding about the textile journey, improve attitudes towards carbon reduction

– engage 60 schools in clothing collections and other waste diversion activities

 The project has already held two events which have helped to identify the links between waste and climate change. The first event – the ‘Fix It Now’ Textiles waste and climate conference – was held at the Unity Theatre in October and gave Fashion Fix information sessions and activities to 20 teachers from 10 schools.

The second event on November 4^th – Mock UN Climate and Clothing Conference – tied into the United Nations COP26 climate event and brought together 50 local pupils and teachers to represent different countries on the clothing journey from beginning to end.

Alison Boden, a teacher at St Austin’s RC Primary School in St Helens who attended the climate event in November, said: “Feedback from our children was very positive.  They are keen to make some posters to display around school to share the messages that they learnt at the conference. They talked about reducing waste and caring from the environment and really enjoyed delivering the speeches they’d prepared to the rest of the room. They’ve shared what they did with the Y6 class and in KS2 assembly.”

Councillor Tony Concepcion, Chairperson of MRWA, said: “Our research shows that there are high quantities of textiles placed in recycling and household waste bins across kerbside collections in the Liverpool City Region. Textiles shouldn’t go into bins. Instead, Recycling Centres, charities, local bring banks all accept clothes and textiles where they will go on to be recycled or reused.

“However, this project isn’t just about waste, it’s highlighting the link between waste and the climate emergency, and how we can no longer just throw things away once we’ve finished with them, as materials will have a value and could probably be used again.”

Paulo Guidi continued: “The project will finish with a finale fashion show which will be a chance to show off skills learnt by pupils and to hopefully generate further enthusiasm for committing to textiles waste reduction.”

All schools and universities in the project will be supported to contribute towards a 10 tonnes reduction in wasted textiles, with certificates and awards at the end of the project

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 Note to editors:

• MRWA_Climate_2021A & MRWA_Climate_2021B – local school pupils at the mock UN Climate and Clothing Conference, Liverpool, 4^th November 2021.
• 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 minimisation and safe and effective disposal of waste for Merseyside residents.
• The MRWA and Veolia Community Fund 2021/22 has seen 17 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 £164,999.38

Seventeen community groups have met in Liverpool to come up with ideas to help the City Region reduce, re-use and recycle more.

The groups have all received funding from the Merseyside Recycling & Waste Authority (MRWA) and Veolia Community Fund 21/22, which has distributed £165,000 to help support local waste prevention, re-use and recycling initiatives.

Due to the Covid pandemic this is the first time that representatives from the organisations have been able to come together in person to discuss their plans to help cut household waste levels. The conference took place last Tuesday 14th September at No.1 Mann Island, the office of MRWA.

The organisations had to bid for the funding which will give them the financial resources to deliver waste-reducing behavioural change projects across the region. Programmes include cookery clubs to reduce food waste, community recycling hubs, sewing classes and craft clubs, upcycling and restoration of unwanted furniture, clothes recycling, and a cloth nappy lending library.

Chairperson of Merseyside Recycling and Waste Authority (MRWA), Councillor Tony Concepcion, said: “The event was a great opportunity to meet all our project partners. Year on year we’re seeing more success from our Community Fund programme and its influence on the whole region. This year there are a wide range of projects and a good mix of materials including food, furniture, plastics and textiles.

“The work of these groups is greatly appreciated, and we know the benefits go well beyond just managing waste. It’s been a tough 18 months for everybody, but hopefully the Community Fund can give local groups the opportunity to show that many of the things we put in the bin are actually valuable resources and not something which might be just thrown away.”

One of this year’s projects is being delivered by local charity Bridge2 whose remit is to welcome, serve, and assist asylum seekers, refugees, and local community throughout the central Liverpool area. Their ‘Reimgaine’ project will see textiles and furniture collected and donated to support vulnerable communities, furniture reuse courses and textile reuse workshops.

Lindsay Thomas, Community Arts Co-ordinator at Bridge 2, said: “It was wonderful to see all the community partners together in one place, as it gave us the chance to swap ideas and discuss how we can all work together to help local residents reduce waste and reuse what they can.”

The successful organisations have got until March 2022 to deliver their projects.

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Note to editors
– Image caption
MRWA_CF2021 – MRWA Community Fund projects event, 14 September 2021, with MRWA Chairperson Councillor Tony Concepcion (far right)
MRWA_CF2021A – (L TO R) MRWA Community Fund Officer Christine O’Brien with Lindsay Thomas and Justin Thomas of Bridge2

– The successful projects:

Big Help Project – No Waste Food Club: this will set up six new Community Food Partnerships to reduce food wastage, aiming for 200 new members per Partnership. Will also include access to other services such as debt advice, housing support, employability, skills training.

The Bread Streets Group – Waste Not, Want Not: this Liverpool-based project will hold six workshops on how to reduce and reuse food, plastics and clothes/textiles, plus a litter pick.

Bridge2 – Reimagine: this project will see textiles and furniture collected and donated to support vulnerable communities, three furniture reuse courses and four textile reuse workshops.

Brunswick Youth & Community Centre – Make a Meal of it: this project in Sefton will host 10 weekly food skills training sessions with local families. They will be taught how to grow their own produce, use leftover, cook on a budget and how to freeze food correctly.

Carmel Sixth Form College – Sustainable Steps Toward Sustainability: the College will hold 26 weekly workshops and events for students on how to reuse furniture, textiles and food growing.

Centre 63 – Remake Yourself Hub: this ongoing programme will continue to provide sewing classes and upcycling furniture workshops while supporting the skill development of young women. It will concentrate on unwanted furniture and textiles and the Centre 63 youth club will be focused on litter picking, repair workshops and food waste activities.

Changing Communities CIC – ReStore St Helens: the reuse and recycle shop in Sutton will host a series of furniture upcycling workshops, offer donations to local vulnerable residents and set up seven school reading corners.

Community Integrated Care – Sustainability in Social Care: CIC will establish five new community collection hubs, host waste reduction and re-use events (for example, textile & furniture swapping and food waste avoidance workshops) and look to reuse materials within the social care sector. They will also create a full-time waste prevention specialist and part-time food waste avoidance champion while supporting 20 volunteers, giving opportunities for people with care and support needs.

Dovecot and Princess Drive Community Association – Recycle, Refashion, ReCreate: includes clothes/textiles and food workshops to be held in local schools, five family food workshops, 13 sewing in the community sessions, seven re-fashioning sessions and a fashion show and recycling competition.

Farm Urban – Future Food Heroes: working with six primary schools this project will set up a food ecosystem in each class and help create future food ambassadors.

Halton Play Council – Make Use and Lend Halton: the Runcorn-based charity will use the funding to host 10 reuse & repair craft workshops, four swishing and textiles sales events, as well as collecting textiles for redistribution and a toy lending library.

Liverpool Cloth Nappy Library – Sustainable Starts: will look to reduce plastic pollution through a lending library which will provide a reusable nappy kit and advice to parents. Will look to engage with 50 families as well as host three community pop-up events.

Liverpool Lighthouse – Liverpool Re-Fashion: this will see 26 weekly refashioning workshops help, three enterprise workshops and an exhibition at a fashion show.

Liverpool World Centre – Fashion Fix: a clothes/textiles project for schools, trainee teachers and parents, engaging with 4,000 people. LWC will create 20 Fashion Fixers and Climate Champions to help raise awareness and influence reuse, recycling of textiles and reduction of textile waste.

Make It Happen Birkenhead Ltd – Textiles as treasure: Make It Happen will employ a Textiles Champion to help establish a Community Shop, host 22 training sessions in sewing and crafts and sell the items in the shop.

Pioneer People Wirral – Street Ahead: this scheme will host a variety of neighbourhood exchange/garage sale events and 12 community centre events with donated items and upcycled items made by the Shed Heads project. Will also offer bikes refurbished at Liverpool Prison and send tools and clothes to Gambia to support local enterprise.

Wirral Change Ltd – Repaired Again: this project will work with ethnic communities to hold 20 food waste workshops, 20 textiles upcycling sewing classes and three community events.

– 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 minimisation and safe and effective disposal of waste for Merseyside residents.

– The MRWA and Veolia Community Fund 2021/22 has seen 17 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 £164,999.38