Oprah Binfrey to take to the roads in Knowsley from next month

The local authority has confirmed collections will start from April 13

Oprah Binfrey and Larry Leftovers are just two of the new recruits being drafted in to support the new food waste collection service across Merseyside. From next month, households in Knowsley can expect to receive a weekly additional bin collection from outside their homes.

All councils across England will have to provide the new service as part of a drive to improve recycling rates. The UK government has previously announced councils would have to legally provide food waste collections across the country from April this year.

This follows Liverpool Council which brought in food waste collections for 30,000 households as part of a trial starting in September 2025. To get ready for the new service, Knowsley Council has purchased nine new collection vehicles.

Cllr Shelly Powell, Knowsley Council cabinet member for communities and neighbourhoods, has now revealed the unique names that had been chosen for the new trucks, including Mr Munch. She said: “The launch of weekly food waste recycling is an exciting step in our journey to achieving a cleaner, greener Knowsley.

“We all produce food waste, some of it’s inevitable for many of us, for example; teabags, egg shells and vegetable peelings.

“I’m very pleased to be able to update council that after 12 months of challenging preparation, Knowsley will provide our residents with more opportunity to recycle via the new weekly collection of food waste and the expansion of recyclable materials taken in the co-mingled grey bin with effect from Monday April 13.”

New collection staff have also been recruited to support the service. A full food waste collection kit is being delivered to every house in the borough, including a pest proof caddy, smaller indoor caddy and roll of liners.

Cllr Powell added how the unique names for the new trucks had been chosen.

She said: “To celebrate the importance of food waste collections, schools and households were invited to get involved in naming the vehicles, and after receiving 700 entries residents can expect to see Mr Munch, Oprah Binfrey and Larry Leftovers to name a few to their neighbourhood soon.”

More than 20,000 deliveries have been completed to date, with the borough expected to be covered by the end of this month.

Cllr Powell said: “This fantastic new weekly food waste collection offers significant environmental, economic and social benefits by helping to lower greenhouse gas emissions, save money for residents who can reduce how much food they buy, reduce landfill waste and help to combat climate change by decreasing methane emissions.”

Pots, tubs, trays and aerosols will also be able to be recycled in the existing grey bin from April 13.