Fifteen community organisations across the Liverpool City Region, including several in Knowsley, have secured a share of a £165,000 investment to launch innovative waste reduction, reuse, and recycling initiatives.
Earlier this year the organisations had to bid for the funding which will give them the financial support to deliver waste-reducing behavioural change projects across the region.
Project applications had to tackle one or more of the five priority household waste materials which have been identified by MRWA, namely Food, Furniture, Electricals, Plastics and Textiles. An analysis of waste in the Liverpool City Region highlighted that a greater amount of these materials could be reused or recycled.
The successful projects in Knowsley encompass diverse activities like a travelling textiles education van, cookery classes to reduce food waste, schools assemblies and furniture upcycling workshops.
Lesley Worswick, Chief Executive of MRWA, praised the initiative, saying:
The Zero Waste Community Fund is about turning inspiring ideas into lasting environmental action. We have awarded 15 projects that demonstrate exactly how we can rethink our relationship with ‘waste’ — transforming it instead into a resource for our communities. We eagerly anticipate the results of their hard work as they help us build a cleaner, greener, and healthier region for everyone.”
The successful projects in Knowsley include:
| Project and organisation | Area | Material focus |
Project summary
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| Swap Shop – Vibe Charitable Incorporated Org | Halton, Knowsley, Liverpool, Sefton & St Helens | Textiles | Working with young people (11-17) across various youth councils to create a travelling textiles project. The core group and van will move across districts offering education sessions linked to fast fashion, second hand clothing, upcycling and sewing skills and hosting swap shops with donated/repaired/upcycled clothing.
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| Scouting Towards Zero Waste – Merseyside Scouts
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Knowsley, Liverpool, Sefton, St Helens & Wirral | Food & Plastic | Food waste skills delivered through trickle down training. Supporting 30 unit leads to learn the skills and access equipment to support up to five sessions in each area. |
| Waste Not, Dance Lots – Alchemic Kitchen | Knowsley, Liverpool, Sefton & St Helens | Food | Large scale educational food sessions providing Disco Chops (active musical cook-alongs) focusing on utilising unwanted to wasted veg stock. As well as a community event day offering apple gleaning utilising unharvested stock for juice, baking and more.
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| School Uniform & Clothing Reuse Project – Roberts Recycling Ltd
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All | Textiles | Pilot Supporting five schools in the reuse and redistribution of uniforms and other textiles, through educational session, assemblies and resources.
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| Reuse, Restore & Repair – Lets Talk2Day CIC | Knowsley | Food, Textiles & Furniture | Project focusing on repair and reuse across multiple sessions including repair workshops, sewing skills lessons and food waste workshops. These sessions aim to generate core volunteers or champions to help continue the work long term. Supported by quarterly swap shop events and a final showcase.
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| Waste Less the Eco Way – The Eco Therapy Garden CIC | Knowsley | Food & Textiles | Sessions held at a local community garden focusing on food growing, waste prevention and composting know as from plot to plate. Aswell as hosting textile swap shop and sewing skills sessions, providing repair skills, and sessions on utilising ‘scrap material’ such as reclaimed yarn and wool.
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| Growing Sustainable Futures – Kindling Farm
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Knowsley
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Food
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A local farming co-operative offering a 6 week seasonal growing and cooking course and 6 week furniture repair and upcycling course. Alongside school visits around the food cycling and access to locally grown produce. The project aims to end with a Zero Waste Food Event celebrating season, local food, composting and more.
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Delivered through the Zero Waste Community Fund 2026/27 — a partnership between Merseyside Recycling & Waste Authority (MRWA) and Veolia — the funding will empower grassroots projects to tackle high-priority waste including food, textiles, and electronics. These locally-led schemes aim to embed sustainable habits and reduce the region’s carbon footprint by the project deadline in March 2027.
The fifteen successful 2026/27 organisations have got until March 2027 to deliver their projects.