Assuming you have fuel in your tank to make trips to the tip, it's worth noting that the Merseyside Recycling and Waste Authority will soon be opening their recycling centres for a shorter amount of time as they switch to winter operating hours from October.

Incidentally, looking at the picture above supplied by the Authority, one can't help but think Dad should reconsider recycling that toy scooter in case he needs it to get to work.

From Friday 1 October recycling centres and tips will be open between 8am and 5pm – changing from the summer hours of 8am to 8pm.

There are three Household Waste Recycling Centres (HWRCs) in Wirral and they are operated by Veolia on behalf of Merseyside Recycling and Waste Authority (MRWA).

This includes Heswall Nub News' favourite tip on Greenbank Road in West Kirby.

Recycling Centres accept a range of household materials for recycling, from batteries, cans and cardboard, through to garden clippings, glass bottles, wood, and white goods. They also accept lesser known items such as food (e.g Pringles) and drink cartons, clothes, hard plastics and electrical items.

Householders can click or tap here to check for details of what can be accepted at a local site.

Recycling centres provide a popular service for residents and can become extremely busy at peak times so visits should be planned carefully as the opening hours become shorter.

For people wishing to visit a HWRC in a van or with a large trailer, bookings can be made by clicking or tapping here.

Cllr Tony Concepcion, Chairperson of MRWA, said: "We shorten the hours over the winter to coincide with the darker nights over the forthcoming months.

"Merseyside householders can use the Centres to recycle a host of items - from cans, car batteries and cardboard to garden waste, large plastics, scrap metal, textiles and timber, and more."

And that includes old and rusty jerry cans - though maybe it's worth hanging on to those too...