Birmingham Residents Report Uncollected Bins Leading to Waste Accumulation

Residents residing in specific areas of Birmingham have stated that their waste bins are not being collected according to the scheduled times. The areas identified as affected include Bartley Green, Selly Park, and Northfield. Laurence Turner, the Labour Member of Parliament for Birmingham Northfield, commented, “The collection service has been poor for some months”. Birmingham City Council indicated that its waste service was implementing a “change programme,” which involves the introduction of new vehicles and revised staffing arrangements. Leanne Gregory, a resident of Northfield, mentioned that this week’s collection occurred punctually, describing it as “what seems like the first time in probably a month-and-a-half,” although she noted that this was not the case on three occasions during October. She recounted one instance where 16 days elapsed between collections, stating, “Obviously it’s not acceptable”. Ms. Gregory also conveyed that local residents were “really concerned” and had previously reported “rats running around into the homes”. Ms. Gregory further explained, “This is not the sort of area where people have access to cars, can go to the tip.” She added, “We live in an area of high social housing.” She emphasized the demographic, stating, “These are houses that are full to the brim of families. So the bins, we need them collected weekly.” Mr. Turner indicated that Thursday is the customary collection day, and “from the afternoon onwards into Friday and Saturday the email inbox starts filling up”. He further stated, “Things really came to a head in June, July, August.” He acknowledged, “Things are starting to improve in some areas, but we do need to see more progress.” Majid Mahmood, the council cabinet member responsible for transport and environment, affirmed that the waste service was implementing “a significant, and long overdue, change programme,” encompassing new vehicles, new staffing arrangements, and the introduction of “new collection systems” in the new year. He also mentioned that the authority was contending with a “significant number” of staff absences. This situation, he explained, was impacting service performance, “which is being addressed in the short term, with support from staff at other depots”. Mr. Mahmood advised, “Any residents whose bin isn’t collected on the normal collection day should leave their bin out and we’ll collect it as soon as we can. We apologise and ask for people’s patience.” For further updates, BBC Birmingham can be followed on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X, and Instagram. Copyright 2024 BBC. All rights reserved. The BBC disclaims responsibility for the content found on external sites. Information regarding their approach to external linking is available.