This accessibility statement applies to Accessibility Statement for the Merseyside Waste Disposal Authority Website
This accessibility statement applies to https://www.merseysidewda.gov.uk/.
Merseyside Waste Disposal Authority (operating as Merseyside Recycling and Waste Authority) is committed to making its website accessible, in accordance with the Public Sector Bodies (Websites and Mobile Applications) (No. 2) Accessibility Regulations 2018.
This website has been designed to be usable and accessible for as many people as possible. This includes enabling users to:
- navigate most of the website using only a keyboard
- zoom up to 400% without loss of content or functionality
- use assistive technologies such as screen readers, speech recognition software and screen magnifiers
- change colours, contrast levels and fonts using browser or operating system settings
- access content on a range of devices and screen sizes
The website aims to conform to the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) version 2.2 Level AA.
Compliance Status
This website is partially compliant with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) version 2.2 AA standard due to the non-compliances listed below.
Non-accessible Content
The content listed below is currently not fully accessible for the following reasons.
Non-compliance with the accessibility regulations
Colour Contrast
Some text and interactive elements do not provide sufficient colour contrast against their background.
This may make content difficult to read for users with visual impairments or colour vision deficiencies.
WCAG 2.2 Success Criterion 1.4.3 – Contrast (Minimum)
Heading Structure
Some pages contain skipped heading levels or headings that are not used in a logical hierarchy.
This can make navigation more difficult for users of assistive technologies.
WCAG 2.2 Success Criterion 1.3.1 – Info and Relationships
ARIA Mark-up
Some pages contain invalid or incomplete Accessible Rich Internet Applications (ARIA) attributes or broken ARIA references.
This may reduce compatibility with screen readers.
WCAG 2.2 Success Criterion 4.1.2 – Name, Role, Value
Keyboard Navigation
Although most website functionality is available using a keyboard, some navigation components do not fully support expected keyboard behaviour, including:
- Escape key behaviour within navigation menus
- Returning keyboard focus appropriately after closing menus
WCAG 2.2 Success Criteria 2.1.1, 2.1.2 and 2.4.3
Forms
Some forms currently have accessibility issues including:
- certain controls that are difficult or impossible to reach using only a keyboard
- validation messages that are not consistently associated with their corresponding fields
- some error messages that rely solely on colour
- keyboard focus not always moving to the first validation error
These issues may affect users relying on keyboards or assistive technologies.
Relevant WCAG Success Criteria include:
- 1.3.1
- 2.1.1
- 3.3.1
- 3.3.2
- 3.3.3
- 4.1.2
PDF Documents
Some PDF documents published on the website are not fully accessible.
Examples include documents that:
- are not correctly tagged
- contain reading order issues
- have insufficient heading structure
- contain images without appropriate alternative text
Where practical, we are replacing older PDF documents with accessible HTML pages or remediated PDF versions.
Content Not Within the Scope of the Regulations
Some older PDF documents published before 23 September 2018 may not be fully accessible where they are exempt under the accessibility regulations.
Any new documents published after this date will be made accessible wherever possible.
What We Are Doing to Improve Accessibility
Accessibility improvements form part of the Authority’s ongoing website development programme.
Current activities include:
- improving colour contrast
- correcting heading structures
- resolving ARIA validation issues
- improving keyboard accessibility
- enhancing form validation and keyboard navigation
- replacing inaccessible PDF documents with accessible alternatives where appropriate
- carrying out regular accessibility testing against WCAG 2.2 AA
Accessibility is considered whenever new content or functionality is introduced.
Feedback and Contact Information
If you experience any accessibility problems with this website or require information in an alternative format, please contact us.
Email:
enquiries@merseysidewda.gov.uk
Telephone:
0151 255 1444
Postal Address:
Merseyside Recycling and Waste Authority
7th Floor
No.1 Mann Island
Liverpool
L3 1BP
When contacting us, please tell us:
- the page or document you experienced difficulty with
- the nature of the problem
- the format you require
We aim to respond within five working days.
Enforcement Procedure
The Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) is responsible for enforcing the Public Sector Bodies (Websites and Mobile Applications) (No. 2) Accessibility Regulations 2018.
If you are not satisfied with how we respond to your complaint, you may contact the Equality Advisory and Support Service (EASS).
Technical Information About This Website’s Accessibility
Merseyside Waste Disposal Authority is committed to making its website accessible in accordance with the Public Sector Bodies (Websites and Mobile Applications) (No. 2) Accessibility Regulations 2018.
This website is partially compliant with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines version 2.2 AA, due to the non-compliances identified in this statement.
Preparation of this Accessibility Statement
This statement was prepared on 28/07/26.
It was last reviewed on 27/07/26.
The website was most recently tested against WCAG 2.2 AA during July 2026.
Testing included:
- automated accessibility testing
- manual keyboard testing
- screen reader compatibility checks
- colour contrast analysis
- form accessibility testing
- review of representative pages and downloadable documents
The assessment was carried out by Clarity Creation Ltd.