Mayor warns against tip changes that could hit recycling

The Liverpool City Region mayor has said he has "no intentions" of supporting proposed changes to Merseyside's rubbish tips if they make it harder for people to recycle.

Steve Rotheram was responding to proposals that could see a booking system introduced at household waste recycling centres, alongside a "fair use" limit on the number of visits residents can make each year.

Merseyside Recycling and Waste Authority (MRWA) is asking the public for their views on the suggested changes, which would also require recyclable and non-recyclable waste to be separated before arriving at a site.

The authority has also proposed restricting tip use to Merseyside residents only.

Rotheram told the BBC he would consider "every single option" before deciding whether to support the changes.

"If we allow unfettered access does that improve or does it create additional issues?" he said.

"In other words, are people just getting rid of stuff where, for instance, it could get composted in their own gardens or whatever it might be."

Rotheram said fewer people may dump prohibited materials such as asbestos at household waste sites if it was less of "an easy option".

However, he said fly-tipping and low recycling levels remain a major concern across the city region.

"I've got no intentions at all of supporting something that makes it more difficult for people to recycle," he said.

"Some people, as you know, don't recycle.

"It's the law of unintended consequences. If people go and say, 'the tip's closed', they lash it in the first available space, so we don't want to indirectly create problems for ourselves."

MRWA is contracted by the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority to operate the region's household waste recycling centres until 2029.

It said the consultation was aimed at boosting recycling rates and ensuring the service continued to meet the needs of households in the years ahead.

Rotheram added: "We've got really, really poor levels of recycling at the moment and it's going in the wrong direction, so we need to do something about that as a thing in itself.

"Every single option you have got to look at."

Residents are being asked to share their views before the consultation closes on 22 September.

Listen to the best of BBC Radio Merseyside on Sounds and follow BBC Merseyside on Facebook, X, and Instagram. You can also send story ideas via Whatsapp to 0808 100 2230.