Merseyside Waste Disposal Authority

The future of Merseyside's waste

Last year (2008/09) Merseyside produced over 600,000 tonnes of household waste – that is almost 800 kilograms of waste created by each and every Merseyside household in just one year.

Overall the region recycled 33.3% of this (174,940 tonnes) - the remainder was sent to landfill.

Merseyside has recognised that it needs to deal with its waste more effectively – both from an environmental and an economic perspective. Landfill space is fast running out. Both UK and European government legislation means we could face huge fines for every tonne of waste we send to landfill above our limit.

As well as the financial implications, sending waste to landfill is no good for the environment - pollution potential from landfilled waste can impact on surface water, groundwater, soil, air, and also contribute to climate change.

A Joint Municipal Waste Management Strategy sets out how we are going to deal with our waste in the future. Merseyside residents helped shape the Strategy by taking part in a comprehensive consultation in 2005. It aims to increase recycling to above 40% by 2020 and to divert as much waste as possible away from landfill sites.

The Authority’s Procurement Strategy continues to define a detailed procurement route for waste management contracts.