People living in Merseyside and Halton currently sort their household waste by separating materials that can be recycled from those that can’t.

The recyclable materials – like plastic bottles, steel and aluminium cans and paper and cardboard – are sent for recycling. Garden waste is also kept separate, so it can be composted. Residents can also donate items they no longer want, so that they can be reused, upcycled or repurposed.

The remaining material is known as ‘residual waste’. Historically, this residual waste was disposed of in landfill, but this is the least sustainable method of treating waste. Waste in landfill releases greenhouse gases, like methane, and the true value of the materials in landfill is not realised.

In 2013, the Merseyside Recycling and Waste Authority awarded a resource recovery contract to build and operate facilities that will provide Merseyside’s residents with a long-term, more sustainable alternative to landfill, by using their residual waste to generate energy.