An update has been given on the delivery plan for waste collections for every Merseyside household ahead of a major change next year.

In a report to be brought before councillors at an October 20 Wirral Council environment meeting, more details have been revealed about what will happen when food waste collections kick in for every household across England.

St Helens council currently provides food waste recycling but many Merseyside homes will be doing it for the first time under the new scheme.

New food waste collections are being brought in following a law passed under the previous Conservative government in 2021 with the aim of improving recycling rates. Councils across England will have to start recycling food waste by law from April 2026.

The plan is for every household to be given two smaller bins called caddies to keep food waste secure until it can be collected. One will be kept inside the house while a second will be kept outside and put out for collection.

The delivery plan said Waste firm Veolia will provide services to transfer, transport, and treat the food waste up until 2029. The food waste will be received at four sites at Bidston, Huyton, Southport, and Gillmoss.

Planning permission has been approved for works to begin later this year at Bidston, Huyton, and Southport while the site at Gillmoss was granted planning permission at the end of September.

Another update has been given on a deposit return scheme which could be introduced in October 2027. Similar schemes run in a number of European cities with a success rate of 98% where people receive money in return for bringing bottles back, even if they didn't buy them.

These schemes are seen as a way for reducing litter and increasing recycling rates. Councils will also have to collect plastic film by March 2027

The updates come in the delivery plan for the Merseyside Recycling and Waste Authority's (RWA) corporate plan which sets out how the RWA plans to deliver its services managing waste across Merseyside over the next five years. In 2024, more than 744,556 tonnes of waste was processed across various sites.

Across the whole of Merseyside, the recycling rate was around 35.3% that year with the Wirral being lower at 31.1%. Parts of Merseyside including the Wirral have historically had some of the worst recycling rates in the country.

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Update on all Merseyside bin collections ahead of change - Liverpool Echo