{"id":4307,"date":"2026-03-17T21:24:39","date_gmt":"2026-03-17T21:24:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/liverpoolname.com\/?p=4307"},"modified":"2026-03-17T22:04:51","modified_gmt":"2026-03-17T22:04:51","slug":"the-food-industry-in-merseyside-turning-waste-into-a-resource","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/liverpoolname.com\/en\/eternal-4307-the-food-industry-in-merseyside-turning-waste-into-a-resource","title":{"rendered":"The Food Industry in Merseyside: Turning Waste into a Resource"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>It is time to raise the topic on <a href=\"http:\/\/liverpoolname.com\">liverpoolname.com<\/a> of how the food industry in Merseyside deals with waste and how the region transforms it into a resource. This involves food, production leftovers, the organic fraction from households, and specific local solutions that help return all of this into the economic cycle in the form of energy, fertilisers, or products for reuse.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The most interesting part here begins after production, sale, and consumption. It is precisely in brewery residues, food surpluses, and the contents of kitchen bins that one can <strong>clearly see how intelligently the entire system is designed<\/strong>. It also reveals who in the region is genuinely seeking workable solutions, and who merely enjoys grand talk about a &#8216;green&#8217; future.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_74 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-custom ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<label for=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a0c4a41b79e8\" class=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-label\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/label><input type=\"checkbox\"  id=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a0c4a41b79e8\"  aria-label=\"Toggle\" \/><nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/liverpoolname.com\/en\/eternal-4307-the-food-industry-in-merseyside-turning-waste-into-a-resource\/#Why_Food_Waste_Has_Become_a_Pressing_Issue_for_Merseyside\" >Why Food Waste Has Become a Pressing Issue for Merseyside<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/liverpoolname.com\/en\/eternal-4307-the-food-industry-in-merseyside-turning-waste-into-a-resource\/#How_Food_Waste_is_Turned_into_a_Resource_in_the_Liverpool_City_Region\" >How Food Waste is Turned into a Resource in the Liverpool City Region<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/liverpoolname.com\/en\/eternal-4307-the-food-industry-in-merseyside-turning-waste-into-a-resource\/#Local_Innovations_Which_Solutions_Are_Already_Working_in_Merseyside\" >Local Innovations: Which Solutions Are Already Working in Merseyside<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/liverpoolname.com\/en\/eternal-4307-the-food-industry-in-merseyside-turning-waste-into-a-resource\/#What_is_Hindering_the_System_and_Where_Merseyside_Can_Go_Next\" >What is Hindering the System and Where Merseyside Can Go Next<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Why_Food_Waste_Has_Become_a_Pressing_Issue_for_Merseyside\"><\/span>Why Food Waste Has Become a Pressing Issue for Merseyside<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"926\" height=\"767\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.liverpoolname.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/61\/2026\/03\/image-39.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-4308\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.liverpoolname.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/61\/2026\/03\/image-39.png 926w, https:\/\/cdn.liverpoolname.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/61\/2026\/03\/image-39-300x248.png 300w, https:\/\/cdn.liverpoolname.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/61\/2026\/03\/image-39-768x636.png 768w, https:\/\/cdn.liverpoolname.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/61\/2026\/03\/image-39-696x576.png 696w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 926px) 100vw, 926px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>The issue of food waste in Merseyside is the number one priority for the entire local economy, but mostly for businesses working with organic residues. When a significant portion of the waste stream consists of food, we are looking at systemic inefficiency. It is a paradox, but a fact: the region first spends resources on production, logistics, and sales, and then pays again to have it all hauled away and processed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For Merseyside, this topic is particularly telling because food waste makes up a very large proportion of residual waste. This means that even the familiar conversations about <a href=\"https:\/\/liverpoolname.com\/en\/eternal-4026-what-liverpool-engineers-have-invented-for-plastic-recycling\">recycling plastic<\/a>, paper, or glass do not fully explain the picture. The primary &#8216;heavy&#8217; material in the waste stream here is often much more prosaic\u2014<strong>uneaten food scraps, spoiled produce, production leftovers, and organic matter from kitchens and catering establishments<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It is also worth mentioning the lost value chain. Along with the food, water, energy, packaging, transport fuel, human labour, and land resources are all thrown into the bin. In other words, one inconspicuous bag of kitchen scraps actually drags a whole tail of costs behind it. That is exactly why the conversation about the food industry in Merseyside naturally extends beyond the factory gates.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"How_Food_Waste_is_Turned_into_a_Resource_in_the_Liverpool_City_Region\"><\/span>How Food Waste is Turned into a Resource in the Liverpool City Region<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.liverpoolname.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/61\/2026\/03\/image-40.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-4311\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.liverpoolname.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/61\/2026\/03\/image-40.png 640w, https:\/\/cdn.liverpoolname.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/61\/2026\/03\/image-40-300x200.png 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>For food waste to become a resource at all, it first needs to be extracted from the general waste stream. And this is where the least romantic, yet most crucial, part of the whole story begins\u2014waste sorting. As long as organics are mixed with the rest of the rubbish, they are almost guaranteed to ruin everything around them: complicating sorting, increasing the moisture of the mass, amplifying odours, and making processing more expensive. But when collected separately, a completely different logic emerges\u2014<strong>not &#8216;where to put this&#8217;, but &#8216;how to use this&#8217;<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Next, anaerobic digestion comes into play\u2014a technology with a less-than-appetising name, but a rather practical outcome. Organic waste enters a sealed environment where it decomposes without oxygen, producing biogas and digestate as end products. The biogas can be used to generate energy or refined into biomethane, whilst the digestate is suitable as a fertiliser. Thus, food scraps, which in a household setting appear to be the end of the line, technically prove to be raw material for a new cycle.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In the case of Merseyside, this is also important from an economic perspective. The organic fraction is heavy, wet, and expensive to transport, so every time it has to be hauled long distances, the system loses some of its purpose. Hence the focus on local infrastructure: the closer the collection, treatment, and processing sites are to one another, the less unnecessary expense and logistical absurdity there is. In an ideal scenario, the region does not export valuable organics far away, but keeps them within its own economic cycle.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Local_Innovations_Which_Solutions_Are_Already_Working_in_Merseyside\"><\/span>Local Innovations: Which Solutions Are Already Working in Merseyside<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1280\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.liverpoolname.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/61\/2026\/03\/image-41.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-4314\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.liverpoolname.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/61\/2026\/03\/image-41.png 1280w, https:\/\/cdn.liverpoolname.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/61\/2026\/03\/image-41-300x240.png 300w, https:\/\/cdn.liverpoolname.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/61\/2026\/03\/image-41-768x614.png 768w, https:\/\/cdn.liverpoolname.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/61\/2026\/03\/image-41-696x557.png 696w, https:\/\/cdn.liverpoolname.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/61\/2026\/03\/image-41-1068x854.png 1068w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1280px) 100vw, 1280px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>In Merseyside, there are plenty of examples of innovative solutions in the food industry, although they do not claim to be revolutionary. Rather, it is about a pragmatic approach: if food or production residues have already been generated, maximum benefit\u2014whether energetic, social, or economic\u2014is squeezed out of them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>A prime example is the Liverpool brewery Love Lane Brewing and the Higsons brand, which, together with Liverpool John Moores University, sought better uses for spent grain, malt, and hops. Such residues often go to animal feed, but this is not always the most efficient scheme. Researchers tested how brewery residues could be utilised in bioenergy, and also mixed them with spent coffee grounds. From the outside, it looks like a bizarre union of beer and coffee, but the laws of physics genuinely apply here: reduced moisture and improved fuel properties of the raw material.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Another type of solution is demonstrated by the Princes company, connected to Liverpool through its corporate presence and partnership programmes. In collaboration with FareShare, surplus food is not automatically written off as <a href=\"https:\/\/liverpoolname.com\/en\/eternal-2001-household-waste-in-liverpool-past-and-present\">household waste<\/a>, but is returned to social circulation. This is a vital point, because in the realm of food residues, there is a temptation to reduce everything to processing technologies. Here, the approach is different\u2014not &#8216;process by any means&#8217;, but reuse.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1280\" height=\"720\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.liverpoolname.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/61\/2026\/03\/image-42.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-4317\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.liverpoolname.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/61\/2026\/03\/image-42.png 1280w, https:\/\/cdn.liverpoolname.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/61\/2026\/03\/image-42-300x169.png 300w, https:\/\/cdn.liverpoolname.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/61\/2026\/03\/image-42-768x432.png 768w, https:\/\/cdn.liverpoolname.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/61\/2026\/03\/image-42-696x392.png 696w, https:\/\/cdn.liverpoolname.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/61\/2026\/03\/image-42-1068x601.png 1068w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1280px) 100vw, 1280px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>There is also a third element to the picture\u2014infrastructure. ReFood operates in Widnes, serving as one of the most prominent sites for handling organic waste in the region. The very existence of such a hub clearly illustrates that the food industry, municipal systems, and the energy sector are gradually merging into a single framework.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Here is how these innovations can be described in a clear table.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\"><table class=\"has-fixed-layout\"><tbody><tr><td><strong>Enterprise \/ Organisation<\/strong><\/td><td><strong>What exactly becomes a resource<\/strong><\/td><td><strong>What solution is applied<\/strong><\/td><td><strong>Practical effect<\/strong><\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Love Lane Brewing \/ Higsons + Liverpool John Moores University<\/td><td>Spent grain, malt, hops<\/td><td>Researching the use of brewery residues in bioenergy, particularly mixed with coffee grounds<\/td><td>Lower disposal costs, reduced carbon footprint, useful application of by-products<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Princes + FareShare<\/td><td>Food surpluses<\/td><td>Transferring products to social circulation instead of writing them off<\/td><td>Reduction of food waste, less rubbish, direct social benefit<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>ReFood, Widnes<\/td><td>Organic food waste<\/td><td>Anaerobic digestion<\/td><td>Production of biogas, biomethane, and fertilisers<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Liverpool City Region Councils<\/td><td>Household food waste<\/td><td>Separate collection of organics<\/td><td>A cleaner stream of raw materials for recycling, less organic matter in residual waste<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>To sum up, Love Lane Brewing and Higsons are among the best examples. After all, it is not every day you hear about spent grain, malt, and hops being used as raw materials for bioenergy. Coffee grounds and brewery leftovers together are, as it turns out, a powerful combination!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>But Princes, in partnership with FareShare, is strong in its own right, because here the logic is, so to speak, more sober. If a product is fit for consumption, it should not be hastily relegated to the waste category.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"What_is_Hindering_the_System_and_Where_Merseyside_Can_Go_Next\"><\/span>What is Hindering the System and Where Merseyside Can Go Next<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Merseyside already has a waste reduction strategy, but the problems with local capacities and logistics have not disappeared. Food waste is heavy, wet, and expensive to transport, so such a system works best over short routes. The further the organics have to travel, the greater the costs and the weaker the effect of the entire scheme.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Consequently, exporting organics to other regions makes processing more expensive. Transport costs rise, routes become more complicated, and the model itself loses part of its rationale. It is difficult to speak of a fully circular economy when valuable organic raw materials must be transported far beyond Merseyside&#8217;s borders.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>There is another issue\u2014processing is often presented as the ultimate answer to everything. In reality, the order of action should be different: first, the reduction of food loss; then, the reuse of fit products; and only then anaerobic digestion or other technical processing. Otherwise, the system merely learns to neatly handle the consequences, rather than reducing the actual amount of waste.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>What is the future of the food industry in Merseyside? Production volumes are not the main thing. It is more important <strong>whether the region knows how to preserve the value of food after production and consumption<\/strong>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>It is time to raise the topic on liverpoolname.com of how the food industry in Merseyside deals with waste and how the region transforms it into a resource. This involves food, production leftovers, the organic fraction from households, and specific local solutions that help return all of this into the economic cycle in the form [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":349,"featured_media":4273,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[335],"tags":[],"motype":[325],"moformat":[22],"moimportance":[33],"class_list":{"0":"post-4307","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-innovations","8":"motype-eternal","9":"moformat-longrid-korotka","10":"moimportance-retranslyacziya-v-agregatory"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/liverpoolname.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4307","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/liverpoolname.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/liverpoolname.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/liverpoolname.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/349"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/liverpoolname.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4307"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/liverpoolname.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4307\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4321,"href":"https:\/\/liverpoolname.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4307\/revisions\/4321"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/liverpoolname.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4273"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/liverpoolname.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4307"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/liverpoolname.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4307"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/liverpoolname.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4307"},{"taxonomy":"motype","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/liverpoolname.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/motype?post=4307"},{"taxonomy":"moformat","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/liverpoolname.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/moformat?post=4307"},{"taxonomy":"moimportance","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/liverpoolname.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/moimportance?post=4307"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}