Liverpool’s relationship with recycling is often clouded by confusion, mixed messages, and longstanding myths that make it harder for residents to know what truly belongs in the bin. At the same time, the city faces a real challenge: Liverpool has the second lowest recycling rate in the country at 17.9%, well below the national average. That statistic isn’t about blame – it’s a reminder of how much potential we have to do better, together.
This page is here to cut through the noise. By tackling the most common misconceptions head-on, we want to empower people across Liverpool to recycle with confidence. Whether it’s understanding what happens to your waste, knowing which materials actually get recycled, or spotting the myths that hold us back, this is your go to guide for making small changes that add up to a cleaner, greener city.
Here are some of the most common Myths and the Truth about them:
Everything gets collected in the same wagon
Recycling and household waste are collected in separate vehicles to avoid contamination.
It all goes to landfill
General household waste is incinerated to create energy, not buried in the ground. Waste from across the Liverpool City Region is transported to an energy‑from‑waste facility in Teesside, where it is burned to generate electricity. Recycling is taken to Materials Recovery Facilities (MRFs) where items like paper, card, plastics, metals, and glass are sorted and processed.
Waste gets sent overseas
Household waste is sent to be incinerated in Teeside, while recycling is sent to two Materials Recovery Facilities in Bidston and Gillmoss. The majority of recyclable materials remain in the UK, although a small proportion are exported internationally in compliance with stringent market export requirements.
Recycling wagons crush cans and bottles, so we can
Our wagons don’t crush any recycling. Crushed bottles and cans can be mistaken as cardboard or paper by the machines sorting recyclable materials, so should remain uncrushed.
Rinsing recycling is a waste of water
Food waste can contaminate other materials, particularly paper and cardboard, meaning they can’t be broken down properly to be reused. To prevent this from happening, plastic bottles and glass jars should be rinsed before being thrown away. A quick rinse at the end of the dishes or putting items into the dishwasher when there’s space is enough.
Food waste recycling will attract pests
Food waste currently sits in the purple bin for up to two weeks. The new food waste recycling collection will take place every week. The caddies are designed to be pest-proof, with a lockable lid to stop animals getting inside.
Nothing gets recycled from public bins
Although you can put recyclable and non-recyclable items in public litter bins, public bins in Liverpool are emptied separately, and the recycling collected from them is sent to local Materials Recovery Facilities.
You’re letting people get away with fly-tipping
Liverpool City Council and the Waste Enforcement Team investigate every report they receive. Officers review CCTV, gather evidence, and issue fixed‑penalty notices or pursue prosecutions where possible. The challenge isn’t a lack of action – it’s that fly‑tipping often happens quickly, in secluded spots, and without witnesses, which makes identifying offenders difficult.
