Knowsley Council’s Recycling Engagement Team kicked off a series of roadshows last week to shine a light on the brand-new upcoming food waste recycling scheme.
The new service, set to launch in April 2026, aims to transform the way food waste is disposed of by turning it into renewable energy and nutrient-rich biofertilizer, for enhancing soil health, making it great for crops, rather than sending it to landfill or incineration.
Understandably, there may be questions from the local community about how the change will affect households and so the team are on hand to help.
The first roadshow was a real hit with residents, and lots of interesting conversations took place. We’ve put together a list of some of the most asked questions and answers that may be useful for you:
Where does the food waste go?
Your food waste will be taken to a local transfer station, then on to an anaerobic digestion facility to turn the unused food into a biogas and biofertiliser – where the gas is sent on to the National Gas Grid and the fertiliser which is supplied for local farming and agricultural use.
How will food waste collections work?
The Recycling and Waste Team will be delivering everything you need to get started with food recycling before April, when the service starts in your area. All you need to do is put a liner in your caddy and empty any food waste into it.
Once it’s full, tie the bag tightly and place it in your outdoor food caddy – we’ll empty this weekly, and when you’re out of bags we’ll replace them too. Just tie a bag around your outdoor food caddy when you are near the end of the roll and the team will leave you with more.
The roadshow was the first of many, so if you didn’t get chance to pop by and say hello to the team, here’s where you can find them over the coming weeks:
- Monday 12 January at 10am-12:30pm – Volair Halewood, Baileys Lane, L26 0TY
- Friday 16 January at 3:30pm-6:30pm – Volair Stockbridge, The Withens, Stockbridge Village, L28 1AB
Keep up to date with the latest roadshows.
Cllr Shelley Powell, Cabinet Member for Communities and Neighbourhoods, said “Recycling your food waste is quick and easy to do and it is better for the environment – plus it gets collected on a weekly basis which will help to reduce any rotten food smells from your general waste bin. Please do take the time to pop along and meet our Recycling Engagement team who can answer any questions you may have and help you to recycle more and recycle right.”
If you’d like to learn more about food recycling, visit the Council’s website.