3rd 'Liver Bird' highlights Liverpool's poor recycling rates

LIVERPOOL'S famous Liver Birds have been joined by a 3rd bird with an important message for local residents; to help improve recycling rates across the City, from:- Tuesday 23 September 2025.

Made from recyclable items, the giant sculpture was created to raise awareness about what should be placed in Liverpool's blue recycling bins, as part of Recycle Week which ran from:- 22 September to 28 September 2025.

Currently, Liverpool is ranked as the 2nd worst in the country for its recycling, with only:- 17.9% of household waste being reused, composted or recycled, compared to the national average of:- 42%.

A recent survey conducted by the Council showed that around:- 1 in 5 people still dispose of recyclable items; such as:- cardboard, cans, paper, glass or plastic bottles,; in their purple waste bins, highlighting a need for improving public awareness of recycling.

However, 69% of those taking part said recycling is important to them, with:- 75% of respondents saying they wanted more information on how to improve.

Now, Liverpool City Council has launched a campaign:- 'We're Talking Bins' to highlight exactly which items should be placed in the blue bin, bringing the iconic purple bin and its blue counterpart to life.

Kicking off the six-month initiative, the new:- 'Liver Bird' is compiled of a mix of recyclable items, including:- : cans, glass bottles, cardboard boxes, egg cartons and plastic drinks bottles.

It is hoped that the sculpture, designed and built by Liverpool based artist Faith Bebbington, will help educate residents on how they can contribute to improving the City's recycling ranking. Plans are being explored to keep the artwork on display for the public and used for educational purposes with Schools.

Councillor Laura Robertson-Collins, Cabinet Member for Communities, Neighbourhoods and Streetscene, said:- "There are several reasons for our poor recycling rates here in Liverpool, some of which we, as residents, can take control of. For instance, we are seeing items go in the purple, general waste bin that could; and should; be going in the blue bin. From our research, there's a very clear desire to recycle more and our goal is to enhance local people's knowledge to empower them to make important changes."

Taking place across the country this week, Recycle Week 2025 focuses on the message:-

Rescue Me! Recycle, with the aim of encouraging the public to recycle more of the right items.

As part of Liverpool's journey to improve recycling, phase 1 of food waste collections will be introduced to approximately 15,000 households, offering the opportunity to put unwanted food and leftovers to good use.

From this week, select households across Liverpool will begin receiving a new, free weekly food waste collection service, as part of a phased roll-out to the entire city. The new collections are an enhancement to the current collection service and will take place weekly.

It means that all unwanted and leftover food, including:- teabags, fish and meat bones, and eggshells, can be recycled into new products while reducing the amount of carbon dioxide that is released into the atmosphere.

Once collected, the food will be taken away to be recycled via a process called anaerobic digestion, which involves microorganisms breaking down the waste in an enclosed space. As they do so, the waste releases methane gas, which is collected and converted into a biogas that can be used to generate electricity, heat, or transport fuels.

Residents in the 1st phase have been provided with a small indoor bin, known as a caddy, an outdoor caddy and a roll of liners.

The small caddy is designed to live in a kitchen, either inside a cupboard or on a worktop, and will collect food scraps and leftovers. Once full, the liner can be tied up and thrown straight into the outdoor caddy. This will then be collected each week.

This 1st phase will enable the Council to gain an early understanding of the amount of food waste being recycled before the service becomes mandatory across the country in April 2026.

Councillor Liam Robinson, Leader of Liverpool City Council, said:- "Although the purple bin waste we collect gets taken away to be turned into energy, this still has an impact on the environment. The new food waste collection service will enable us to divert over 30% of rubbish from our household bins to be recycled, forming an integral part of our journey to better recycling. We also plan to widen the types of items that can be placed in Liverpool's blue bins and we are looking forward to announcing more on this in the coming months."

For further information about recycling in Liverpool and food waste collections, visit:- Liverpool.Gov.UK.

Communities to seize control over high streets and restore pride in their Town

THE public in England will be given the power to revitalise their neglected high streets, create new spaces for young people and take back control of derelict pubs, to breathe new life into neglected communities up and down the country.

Communities will be handed new powers to seize boarded up shops, save their treasured local pubs or libraries and clean up the eyesores in their area.

Local people will finally have the powers to put things right after years of decline; an inheritance the Government is determined to fix through the Plan for Change.

This is about choosing a future where communities are empowered to come together, rather than be divided, and where renewal is chosen over decline.

Prime Minister Keir Starmeris set to unveil the Pride in Place programme; an unprecedented programme backed by record funding; that lets local people call the shots on where and how money is spent in their communities, restoring local pride and helping them reclaim their streets.

For far too long, communities have been dictated to rather than in control of their own destiny. This marks a new way of governing. By choosing renewal over decline, this government is delivering lasting change working people will feel.

Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, Steve Reed said:- "When people step out of their front doors, they know their communities are struggling. They see shuttered pubs, fading high streets and their local areas in decline. Yes, communities have been stretched, but they haven't given up. They're working hard to make things better, and we're backing them. The Government is putting power into their hands so local people decide how best to restore pride in their neighbourhoods, not us in Westminster. That's what real patriotism looks like: building up our communities and choosing renewal over division."

The nationwide Pride in Place programme; which will be unveiled by the Prime Minister later on:- Thursday, 25 September 2025, will deliver a record investment and support over 330 communities in total. It will tackle deep rooted deprivation and regional inequality through wide ranging action, including:-

Community Right to Buy: handing local people the power to buy beloved assets, helping them turn around derelict pubs, create new parks and regenerate treasured spaces in the heart of their communities.
Compulsory Purchase powers: allowing communities in England to acquire assets and eyesores like boarded up shops and derelict abandoned businesses, allowing new local start-ups to thrive. For larger sites; like disused department stores or abandoned office blocks; it could even see new health centres opening up, or local housing to help reach our target of 1.5 million homes.
Power to block unwanted shops: empowering councils in England to say no to new betting shops, vapes stores and fake barbers.
Giving residents the power: we will only approve spending if community groups, local organisations and social clubs have been included in decisions on how the money should be spent; putting real power in local hands and giving them a proper say over their community.

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3rd 'Liver Bird' highlights Liverpool's poor recycling rates

Communities to seize control over high streets and restore pride in their Town