SWLNrubbish – By Adam Dutton
Shocking photos show mountains of fly-tipped rubbish and overflowing bins along Birmingham’s streets after bin workers went on strike.
Residents say the bankrupt city is now being invaded by giant rats after industrial action left neighbourhoods littered with festering mounds of waste.
Families also say they fear for the health of their children after some residential areas were turned into a ‘stinking makeshift dump’.
Refuse collectors have walked out on seven dates so far and have scheduled in at least 24 other days in response to fears of wide-scale pay cuts.
And the impact of the strikes can already be seen in several areas of the city – including Balsall Heath and Small Heath.
Locals there say recycling collection is often ignored and businesses in the area haven’t had a waste collection in three weeks.
As a result, rotting litter and overflowing bin liners attract huge rats, while stray cats and foxes tear open bags in search of food.
Photographs also show household waste dumped in giant piles by the roadside including bits of old furniture and cupboard doors.
Mazar Dad, 56, who works for the charity Mecc Trust, said that rubbish mountains have began to form outside his office block in Balsall Heath.
The dad-of-three said: “I’m currently doing some work for a charity and we have a massive pile up outside our building. There’s rubbish everywhere outside on the streets.
“The main shopping area down the road has massive build ups too, massive bags on the front.
“This is not usual, it’s all because of the strikes. There aren’t any collections to clear it all up.
“Businesses have put the bin containers out and those haven’t been taken, so people have put rubbish outside the containers on top of them.
“There’s a pile of rubbish developing and becoming a mountain.
“Because rubbish is on the street it’s acting as a magnet and encouraging people to dump more.
“Normally our bin men are fantastic and leave the streets spotless. But now it’s starting to smell, the stench is ridiculous. People come in and say how bad it is.
“There’s cats and foxes that have been at the bags on the ground and obviously cause people coming into the charity upset.
“This is only two weeks old, and this is the state of affairs already. I dread to think how bad it could get.
“I think basically the council need to get a handle of the ongoing debacle that hasn’t obviously just started, it’s been going on for the last decade.
“They need a proper structure for the staff, I don’t get where they get the reason to cut wages.
“It just questions the competency, every year it seems the bin men are on the wrong wages.”
The dispute was sparked after the council’s decision to scrap the Waste Recycling and Collection Officer (WRCO) role, resulting in pay cuts of up £8,000 for 150 workers.
Now strikes are planned up until April 4 with 31 action dates scheduled in so far.
Pharmacy manager Shazad Nazam, 47, says rats run freely and bin men leave the area’s recycling collections.
The dad-of-three said: “It’s all the commercial waste that hasn’t been collected, the shop bins nearby haven’t been emptied,
“Some residents do dump it nearby, too. It’s probably a bit of a case of them taking advantage of it.
“It’s and up down with collections, sometimes they don’t collect the recycling. Then there’s always rats in the area, where we park our cars, you can see rat droppings.
“The streets aren’t cleaned like they used to be. The rubbish collection is poor but it’s been worse recently. It’s terrible.
“It’s the third week where they haven’t come. We’ve got a mountain of cardboard outside our shop. They usually come out and sort it.
“It’s quite busy and a populated street, everyone knows each other, but it is getting worse.”
Another local resident Matei Ciobanu, 24, added: “I have a new baby and I fear for her health around here. It’s grim.
“People are using it like a dump and the rats you see, some of them are enormous., just huge. They need to come to an agreement and clean this up.”
Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said: “There is no justification for such huge pay cuts to workers’ wages.
“Birmingham council cannot just ignore this situation and hope that it will go away.
“It is a line in the sand for our members, who know more attacks will follow if they don’t fight back. Unite is with them 100 per cent.”
Councillor Majid Mahmood, cabinet member for environment and transport at Birmingham City Council said: “Fly-tipping harms where we all have to live and work and is carried out by environmental criminals that have no regard for our neighbourhoods or their well-being.
“We are aware of issues across Birmingham and are actively working to clear waste when possible.
“Everyone needs to play their part in maintaining a clean environment. We have plenty of lawful options for people to responsibly dispose of waste or unwanted items.
“There are household recycling centres throughout the city, and for those who have difficulty reaching them, we provide our popular free-to-use mobile waste centres.
“A free bulky collection to those households registered for an assisted collection is also available, which has seen more than 63,000 visits to our MHWC in 2024.
“We are committed to prosecuting fly-tippers whenever possible, and we encourage residents to provide reports and evidence for us to do so.
“The most effective way to provide this information is by contacting our waste enforcement team directly.
“The waste service is undertaking a significant, and long overdue, change programme, including new vehicles, new staffing arrangements and new collection systems.
“Making these improvements will provide the residents of Birmingham with a better waste collection service that is in line with other councils.
“I know some residents are concerned about moving to a fortnightly residual waste service, but this will not be introduced until we have the food waste collections, meaning people will have less general waste.
“There will be a phased introduction, and we will be communicating all the changes to residents.”
Anyone with details about dumped waste in Birmingham is encouraged to report it via www.birmingham.gov.uk/flytipping.
ENDS
