Summary

'The stench is thick in the air': Birmingham's streets filled with bin bags for fifth week

Live Reporting

Edited by Trystan Jones and Jack Burgess

  1. What to do if your bin has not been emptied

    Alex McIntyre
    BBC News, West Midlands

    A black bin on the pavement outside a house, overflowing with rubbish.EPA

    Birmingham City Council's website says if residents' waste is not collected then it should be left out and it will be collected as soon as the authority is able.

    Excess waste should be put in black bags and placed right next to the household waste bins.

    The council suggested residents could take their waste to one of its five household recycling centres.

    Although the council will be aware of bins not being collected, there is an online system to report a missed bin collection.

  2. What does the major incident mean?

    Alex McIntyre
    BBC News, West Midlands

    A pile of black bin bags and rubbish at the side of a residential street.EPA

    Birmingham City Council declared a major incident last Monday.

    It followed rising concerns over the risk to public health and damage to the environment.

    As a result, the council could increase the availability of its street cleansing and fly-tipping removal, with an extra 35 vehicles and crews around the city.

    It also allowed the local authority to explore what further support was available, including from neighbouring councils and the government.

    "Unless we declare a major incident and deploy the waste service's contingency plan, then we would be unable to clear the backlog of waste on the streets or improve the frequency of collections," council leader John Cotton said.

  3. What are the roles at the centre of the dispute?

    A gathering of men in dark clothing, holding red flags with the word "Unite" on them, with police officers in yellow reflective jackets on either sidePA Media

    This dispute centres on Birmingham City Council's decision to remove Waste Recycling and Collection Officer roles.

    It was introduced in 2018, following a previous strike by Unite members. The council says no other local authority has this role and the whole team should be "accountable for working in a safe and responsible way".

    So, it says there is no need for someone to oversee health and safety, and it that this has never been in the job description.

    But Unite says the role brought safety expertise to an "often dirty and dangerous job", citing the example of the death of a Coventry bin worker last year.

    The union also believes that removing the role affects the rest of the workforce by "leaving them without a fair path for pay progression", and says it was concerned that the council was preparing to downgrade the pay of other non-management roles in the service.

  4. Birmingham bin strike - your questions answered

    A pile of black bin bags and rubbish in front of two refuse vehicles parked alongside workers wearing orange jackets.

    Why are Birmingham bin workers on strike? How long is the strike? Where and when can residents get rid of waste?

    We'll round up some of the answers to those questions in a moment, but you can also read more in our article explaining the industrial action and its impact on the city.

  5. 'The last few months have been awful'

    Anna Whittaker
    Reporting from Billesley

    A man at the side of the road holding a black bin bag in one hand and a litter picker in the other as he uses it to place rubbish in the bag.

    Litter picker Joe Peacock has been clearing up rubbish near the mobile bin collection point in Billesley.

    A member of the Friends of Billesley Common, he said the area was a "notorious dumping ground".

    “The last few months have been awful. All over Billesley we are seeing mountains of bin bags and the strikes are making everything 10 times worse," he said.

    This is a beautiful part of Birmingham and it’s just sad that the area looks like this.”

  6. Fire Brigades Union backs striking bin workers

    Alex McIntyre
    BBC News, West Midlands

    The Fire Brigades Union (FBU) has backed the striking bin workers and called for the council to end the dispute.

    Members have also been advised not to carry out any "strike-breaking work" and help clear rubbish from the streets, the union said.

    General secretary Steve Wright said: “Birmingham bin workers are public servants who provide an essential service.

    "They have our full solidarity in their fight to defend their pay, jobs and conditions. It’s time for Birmingham City Council to settle this dispute."

  7. In pictures: A busy morning for mobile collection site

    Andy Giddings
    BBC News, West Midlands

    A man with a bald hed and grey jacket holding a black bin bag and a man in an orange reflective jacket taking one from himPA Media

    Birmingham City Council's mobile waste collection sites have been extra-busy since the strike began.

    They'd been operating for some time before the strike began, but with normal collections disrupted, they've become a lifeline for many residents.

    The idea is a simple one - every day the council sends out bin lorries to two sites and people can come with their rubbish and have it taken away.

    These pictures were all taken at the collection point in Erdington today.

    A aerial view of a number of bin lorries parked on a spot just off the main road, with people standing aroundPA Media
    A man in an Aston Villa shirt carrying black bin bags along a path. A man in an orange hi-vis outfit is in the foreground, just out of focusPA Media

  8. 'Bashing Brum is a national sport'

    Katie Thompson
    BBC News

    Andrew Tattum

    Anthony Tattum defended Birmingham's reputation

    It's a lovely sunny day here in Birmingham and I've not spotted a single bin bag dumped on the streets in the city centre itself.

    The bin strikes have created a lot of bad press for Brum - it's made international headlines and is terrible PR for the second city. So maybe its time for a reminder of what Birmingham has to offer.

    Anthony Tattum, co-founder of marketing agency Leopard Co, says Birmingham is not a rubbish city.

    "I think its a national sport bashing Birmingham and its reputation, but it's completely unnecessary," he says.

    He gave a nod to the Invictus Games coming to the city and reminded visitors there is a lot going on with arts and culture. There are restaurants and bars aplenty and people are still visiting Birmingham and shopping here.

    "It's a great, busy buzzing city with lots of architecture and so many brilliant things going no - great food, great culture, great entertainment. It's still a great place to visit," he said.

  9. Political pressure has been growing

    Rob Mayor
    Political reporter, Birmingham

    Three bin workers in high-vis clothes helping to remove rubbish from a green space, lifting bin bags through a bare hedgePA Media

    It’s hard to gauge whether the declaration of a major incident a week ago had any practical impact, but it certainly drew national attention and focussed minds.

    Days later the prime minister described the situation in the city as "completely unacceptable" and the deputy prime minister paid a visit at the weekend.

    The political pressure has been growing and appears to have forced a practical change.

    On Friday, when striking workers allowed bin lorries to leave depots without delay, they told us they had been threatened with arrest by police who had previously only kept a watching brief.

    If that continues today and in the coming days, Birmingham City Council reckons it can run a contingency service, offering every household a bin collection once a week.

    But there is a huge backlog to get through, so even if that happens it could take some time before we notice a difference.

  10. Erdington feels 'lucky' to escape worst of strike

    Josh Sandiford
    Reporting from Erdington

    A man with dark hair and a grey beard with a black top stood on the grass verge beside a road

    People living in the Erdington area of Birmingham don't appear too badly affected by the strike.

    Abdul Shaheed told me "we're quite lucky here" because their waste has been collected, but he isn't happy about having to take his own recycling to the tip.

    A woman with red hair and a blue patterned top standing in a street with cars on the road

    Kate Crehan also lives in Erdington says her area isn't too bad at the moment and that people have been taking their household waste to the tip.

    She says she feels lucky that its only the recycling which isn't being collected where she lives.

    But she also encourages both sides to sit down and get the dispute resolved.

  11. Tell us how the bin strike is affecting you

    Your Voice Your BBC News

    Six residents queue to hand over their rubbish t obin workers in orange high-vis clothing. One pan is carrying a children's slidePA Media

    With bin bags piling up in the streets and no end to the dispute, we're very keen to hear how the Birmingham bin strike is affecting you.

    If you want to get in touch you can email bbcyourvoice@bbc.co.uk or WhatsApp: +44 7980 682727

    www.bbc.co.uk/yourvoice

  12. 'Chaos' at mobile bin collection

    Anna Whittaker
    Reporting from Billesley

    A van parked on a patch of grass at the side of the road. Its back doors are open and a number of black bin bags are inside. An overflowing wheelie bin has been placed behind it.

    People have described the scene here in Billesley as “chaos” as workers at three mobile bin lorries took rubbish from residents.

    Many haven’t had a bin collected in five weeks.

    Cars have arrived stuffed with black bags and even wheelie bins. Some people came on foot to avoid the traffic, which was backing up on to the main road.

    It’s not just black bags either - I’ve seen crutches, a toaster and a child’s play mat thrown into the bulging bin lorries.

    The main feeling here is one of frustration - and much of it is directed at Birmingham City Council.

  13. Litter pickers say rubbish is piling up in parks

    A woman with a blue headscarf and black coat standing in a field with piles of rubbish behind her

    A group of volunteer litter pickers have said the rubbish they collected from a Birmingham park recently was four times what they would normally expect.

    Sadia Khan, the chair of Friends of Spark Green Park, said the group had found household waste, as well as builders' material fly-tipped in the park.

    She said people had used the strikes as an opportunity to dump more rubbish.

    "We usually have three bags of litter over a two hour litter picking session, and now it's 10 to 12 bags," Ms Khan said.

  14. Postcode lottery for bin collections?

    Andy Giddings
    BBC News, West Midlands

    A white bin lorry parked in front of some trees, surrounded by bin bags

    While members of the Unite union take industrial action a reduced fleet of trucks has been rolled out, but some people in Birmingham have complained that bins are being collected more regularly in some areas than in others.

    Basmin Khan, from Swanage Road in Small Heath, said: "The fact that we haven't had a collection for six weeks is unacceptable... because other areas within Birmingham have had a collection."

    She said she knew of relatives in other parts of the city who had had their rubbish collected and added: "We want to be treated fairly - we want to be treated the way that every other area is treated."

    Unite the Union has claimed refuse workers reported that waste managers were concentrating on clearing "more affluent, less built-up areas" because collecting rubbish was "easier" there.

    But Birmingham City Council said last week that disruptions were down to Unite members blocking refuse trucks from leaving depots, and therefore preventing crews from collecting residents' bins.

  15. 'People could be a lot tidier'

    Josh Sandiford
    Reporting from Erdington

    A man with grey hair and glasses in a blue fleece standing at the back of car with its boot open and bin bags in the back

    Not every street is piled high with bin bags and Tony Wilson from Erdington says where he lives people have been keeping the streets tidy.

    "You won't find any black bags just chucked on the street willy-nilly" around his area, he told me.

    Mr Wilson says he suspects some people "just don't care" and could be "a lot tidier".

  16. Could the bin strikes lead to another equal pay dispute?

    A man with ginger hair and a dark blue suit and tie sat on a red chair with pictures painted on a blue wall behind him

    Birmingham City Council Leader John Cotton said pay grades across the council were being reassessed

    Council leader John Cotton has warned that with many bin workers being men, making pay concessions to striking staff could reopen the issue of equal pay claims.

    When the council had to effectively declare itself bankrupt in 2023, equal pay claims of up to £760m were a big factor and the council is keen to avoid further big payouts.

    The equal pay dispute was resolved last year in an agreement with the Unison and the GMB unions that thousands of women would have their claims settled.

    Cotton said: "I think it's important that everyone's paid fairly, which is why we are resetting the entire pay and grading model across the council, and rightly so."

    But Unite disagrees that the latest dispute has any impact on equal pay.

    National lead officer Onay Kasab said the union believed it was possible to introduce a pay system "in line with other councils that would ensure equal pay liabilities are avoided".

  17. 'Furious' residents say 'no-one is listening' as rubbish pile grows

    The BBC's Sarah Julian, at Bordesley Green, Birmingham, says the mountain of rubbish is building - and so is the anger of residents.

  18. Waste collection problems before the strike began

    Alexander Brock
    Local Democracy Reporting Service

    Even before this latest strike action began, Birmingham was struggling to keep up with its bin collections.

    The city council had a target of no more than 90 missed collections per 100,000, but new figures show that in the third quarter of 2024-2025 it was missing 356 per 100,000.

    That was 31% higher than the previous quarter and more than double the figure from the previous year.

    The numbers appear in a council cabinet report which also reveals incidents of fly-tipping were up and the number of those cleared within a week was down.

  19. Emergency bin workers 'doing good job'

    Anna Whittaker
    Reporting from Billesley

    A man stands in front of a number of cars. Behind the cars in the background are two refuse vehicles.

    Tee Hussain, in Billesley, praised the bin workers who had turned up to collect the rubbish this morning.

    “They’re doing a good job but it’s such a headache having to come down here," he said.

    “If it wasn’t for these guys there would be rats and rubbish everywhere. It’s disgusting."

  20. Bin workers are 'holding the city to ransom'

    Josh Sandiford
    Reporting from Erdington

    A woman with dark glasses and a purple coat

    Belinda Bromley from Erdington hasn't got much sympathy with the striking bin workers and says they are "holding the whole city to ransom".

    She told me: "They get paid enough and if they did a decent job I'd probably support them, but they don't".

    Mrs Bromley says the service hasn't been good for a while and wants both sides to get around the table and end this strike.

    Seeing rubbish on the streets makes her "feel dirty", she says.