Liverpool Council has confirmed when the remaining homes across the city will take delivery of a new food waste bin, with the final two tranches of wards set to receive them from late October.
More than 100,000 homes have already received the new bins, with 100 tonnes of food waste collected each week. Each household gets two caddies—a smaller one for inside and a larger one to sit alongside the existing purple, blue, and green bins.
Rollout progress and participation
Helen Cunningham, Streetscene operations manager, told members of the city council’s sustainable, safe and thriving neighbourhoods committee that six phases of the rollout had been completed to 105,000 homes. Almost two thirds of properties receiving the new caddy, 59%, have taken part, above the national average.
She said: “We’re seeing excellent residential behaviours which is supporting our proposal with the phase implementation. What we’re able to do is target our resource in the areas where we’re rolling out food waste, really engage with residents but we’re also not putting strain on other council departments such as the core centre so it’s allowed for a smooth and effective transition as residents move to this new service.”
Next phases and communal bin upgrades
Communications have begun on the rollout of the next two phases, with 22,500 homes to be served from October 26. It is expected 150,000 properties will have received the new bins by the end of this year. Households will be contacted with instructions on how to use the new food waste bin ahead of its rollout in their area. City council officers have already been visiting properties receiving food waste collections to help residents adapt to the changes.
Communal bins set outside homes across Liverpool are also in line for a major upgrade. Members of the city council’s cabinet approved contractors who will provide permanent housing units for the existing communal bins. There are currently 850 collection stations across the city, providing bins for households with limited alleyway space around or behind their properties. They were first introduced between 2018 and 2022 in response to concerns raised by residents around the storage of household waste within their alleyways.
Now, work is being carried out to provide dedicated, durable housing for the existing bins, creating a cleaner, more attractive and integrated look. Other councils across the country have introduced similar units, such as Glasgow. The new housing will also include messaging for residents to help them identify which items belong in each bin, as well as how to get support with other waste issues such as bulky waste collections. Through new guidelines, it is hoped the dedicated units will help to reduce fly-tipping in communal bin areas.
