Merseyside authorities herald recycling performance

The report released yesterday (August 28) covers the period April 2011, to March 2012, and outlines the Partnerships progress towards improving recycling performance on Merseyside.

The MHWP consists of the Merseyside Recycling and Waste Authority (formerly Merseyside Waste Disposal Authority) working alongside the Halton, Knowsley, Liverpool, Sefton, St Helens and Wirral councils.

During the 2011-12 period, the Partnership saw its recycling rate increase from 36.60% to 37.10%, with the councils working towards a target of 50% recycling by 2020.

Recycling performance at the regions household waste recycling centres exceeded expectations, achieving a recycling rate of 55.29%, over a target of 51.53% for the year.

According to the report, targets were also met for reducing the amount of residual waste generated per household across the authorities with Merseyside households generating 655kg of residual waste on average, lower than the 695 kg target, while Halton residents produced 636 kg per household, against a target of 799kg.

Both areas reported a fall in the amount of residual waste produced per household compared to the previous year.

Meanwhile, the percentage of waste sent to landfill also fell, with Merseyside sending 60% of waste to landfill and Halton 57.6% compared to the previous years performance which saw the authorities landfill 60.7% of waste and 59.56% respectively.

Gilmoss MRF

Also highlighted among the years successes is the opening of the 20 million Gilmoss materials recycling facility (MRF), which has the capacity to process around 50,000 tonnes of mixed recyclables per year (see letsrecycle.com story).

The plant was built by waste management firm Veolia as part of its 640 million 20-year waste and recycling contract with the MRWA, and began operating in September 2011. The state-of-the-art MRF also includes an education centre which hosts school and community groups from across the area.

‘Fantastic’

Neil Ferris, chair of the Merseyside and Halton Waste Partnership Working Group, said: This annual report is a great way in which residents can learn more about the many different waste projects happening across the Merseyside and Halton area, and is also testament to the fantastic efforts our residents have shown this year.

None of the achievements would have been possible without every person taking the time to participate whether that be recycling more, using less, or attending an event. All of these efforts are making a big difference and we thank everyone for their continued support.

This report shows how much we have achieved in the past year and what we are planning for the future. By working in partnership, all of the councils and the MRWA are helping residents and organisations across Merseyside and Halton to be more resource-aware.

During 2011-12 the MHWP launched RESOURCES Merseyside, which sets out the joint recycling and waste management strategy for the area between 2011 and 2041. According to the annual report, RESOURCES Merseyside is a route map for the authorities to deliver sustainable waste management and move towards greater resource efficiency.