Delivered by St Stephen’s Gateacre Parochial Church Council (PCC) at St Mark’s Church and Community Garden in Gateacre, the St Mark’s Waste Less Community Programme has been awarded £8,000 from the Merseyside Recycling and Waste Authority and Veolia Zero Waste Community Fund 2026/27.
The Zero Waste Community Fund supports community-led projects across the Liverpool City Region which help reduce household waste, increase reuse and recycling and promote waste prevention.
Delivered from St Mark’s Church and Community Garden (Cranwell Road, L25 1NZ), the Waste Less project includes regular Repair Café events, textile reuse activities, composting workshops, food waste sessions and a community tool library.
Running through to March 2027, the project aims to tackle key household waste streams including small electrical items, textiles, food waste, and tools. Rather than focusing solely on traditional waste disposal, the project is looking to identify the most effective, community-driven ways to foster repair, increase reuse, and promote household waste prevention.
Through interactive, hands-on learning, the programme features:
- Regular Repair & Share: Voluntarily run sessions to help residents repair small electricals, clothes, toys, and bicycles.
- Textile Rescue & School Uniform Swaps: Seasonal uniform swaps, coat exchanges, and mending workshops.
- Food Waste & Composting Workshops: Practical sessions in the community garden alongside cookery classes focused on meal planning and using up leftovers.
- A Community Tool Library Pilot: A borrowing scheme allowing residents to share infrequently used DIY and gardening tools, reducing unnecessary purchases.
By testing various methods of direct community engagement, local awareness campaigns, and practical skills workshops, the initiative hopes to prevent 4.5 tonnes of materials from going to waste including food, furniture, plastic, textiles and electronics.
The programme aims to engage at least 150 households and has set targets including repairing hundreds of household items, distributing a number of compost starter kits and establishing a community tool library.
Revd Tom Langdon-Smith, Vicar at St Stephen’s Gateacre PCC, said: “We are absolutely delighted with how the project has gone so far and what we’ve been able to achieve with the support of the Zero Waste Community Fund. This project means so much to our team and dedicated volunteers, and seeing the direct, positive impact it has had on local families – whether through mending a cherished item or saving money on school uniforms – has been inspiring.”
Lesley Worswick, Chief Executive of Merseyside Recycling and Waste Authority, said: “The Zero Waste Community Fund is designed to empower local groups to deliver real, lasting environmental change right at the heart of their communities. St Mark’s Waste Less Community Programme is a great example of how community-led projects can test innovative ways to reduce waste, boost recycling, and pass on essential repair skills that benefit both local households and the wider environment.”
The St Mark’s Waste Less Community Programme will conclude this phase in March 2027.
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Notes to Editors
Image captions – volunteers at the St Mark’s Waste Less Community Programme in Liverpool, Monday 12th October 2026
About the St Mark’s Waste Less Community Programme
Delivering Organisation: St Stephen’s Gateacre PCC (Charity No. 1164672).
Venue: St Mark’s Church & Community Garden, Cranwell Road, L25 1NZ.
Funding: Awarded £8,000 via the MRWA Zero Waste Community Fund 2026/27.
Merseyside Recycling and Waste Authority (MRWA) is responsible for the disposal of municipal waste produced by over 1.5 million people in the Liverpool City Region.
The Zero Waste Community Fund supports local community groups, charities, and non-profit organisations across Merseyside and Halton to deliver projects that prevent waste, increase reuse and recycling, and reduce carbon impacts.