£165,000 community fund launched by Merseyside Recycling & Waste Authority and Veolia to support projects that reduce waste.
Community groups in the Liverpool City Region are invited to apply for a share of the £165,000 Zero Waste Community Fund 2025/26.
The funding is available for community and voluntary groups, social enterprises, and not-for-profit organisations to implement projects that minimise household waste, maximise recycling and resource reuse, and mitigate carbon emissions.
Grants of up to £30,000 are available for projects that benefit at least four districts within the City Region, while grants between £1,000 and £8,000 are available for projects focused on a single local authority area.
Commenting on the fund, Councillor Catie Page, Chairperson of Merseyside Recycling & Waste Authority (MRWA), said: “We deeply value our partnerships with the region’s dedicated community groups.
“By empowering these groups to address local waste challenges, we not only benefit the environment but also foster a greater appreciation for resources and the value of reducing waste.”
Bids must address one or more of the five priority household waste materials identified by MRWA: WEEE (waste electrical & electronic equipment), food, textiles, plastics and furniture.
Statistics from Merseyside and Halton Waste Composition Analysis 2021/22, which analysed waste in the region, showed that a greater amount of these materials could be re-used or recycled.
Previous Community Fund projects have included local recycling guidebooks, lending libraries, repair cafes, cookery clubs, furniture restoration, and rug refurbishment.
Wirral Environmental Network (WEN) were previously awarded £6,300 for their Clothes Swap Cafes project, which aimed to reduce textiles waste through clothes swap events, sewing and repair workshops, and educational activities.
Naomi Graham, project co-ordinator at WEN, said the Zero Waste Community Fund Clothes Swap Cafe project has helped people across Wirral to take a more sustainable approach to fashion.
“Through the workshops, we had discussions about the environmental costs of fast fashion, chatted about how to make greener clothing choices, and then upcycled unwanted clothes and fabric into items such as bags and hair scrunchies,” Graham said.
