Lack of recycling collections branded 'shameful'

The all-out bin workers' strike has been going on in Birmingham since March

The lack of kerbside recycling collections in Birmingham amid the bin workers' strike has been described as "shameful" by the Green Party group leader on the city council.

Collections have been suspended since January as a result of industrial action taken by union Unite, ahead of the all-out strike in March called over a row about pay and jobs.

Councillor Julien Pritchard, who leads the Green members of Birmingham City Council, said the UK's second largest city not having any recycling collections for most of 2025 was "an absolute joke".

The Labour-run authority said it was "disappointed" the strike had not been resolved and urged residents to use its household recycling centres.

Pritchard, who represents Druids Heath and Monyhull, told BBC Radio WM: "It's absolutely shocking, this is shameful.

"In the [UK's] second city, we haven't been recycling for a year. It's an absolute joke and it's one of the many things that we're seeing as a result of the ongoing strikes."

He said he could not believe the strike had been going on for this long, describing it as an "environmental disaster" and calling for a "fair" resolution to the dispute.

"Enough is enough," he added. "This needs to be resolved and sorted - the residents have had enough of this."

Hundreds of Unite members walked out when the strike started in March

On Friday, members of Unite held a community event in support of the striking bin workers in the Alum Rock area of Birmingham, within Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood's Ladywood constituency.

Ahead of the event, Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said: "The support of the local community for bin workers is overwhelming.

"The council and local MPs need to wake up and realise residents are backing the workers, return to negotiations and make a decent offer to workers."

'Disappointed'

A spokesperson for Birmingham City Council said the refuse service had "not been good enough for too long" and needed to be "transformed to one that the citizens of Birmingham deserve".

"While we are disappointed the dispute has not been resolved, as Unite has rejected all our offers, we are continuing to make regular waste collections as we prepare to implement the new and improved service," they added.

The authority encouraged residents to dispose of household general waste and bulky items at its mobile household waste centres.

It said anyone wishing to get rid of recycling needed to book a slot at one of the council's five household recycling centres.