Garden waste service not being reintroduced yet

Garden waste collections are not being reintroduced in Birmingham for the time being as the bin strike continues to cause disruption.

The seasonal service was suspended last spring due to the industrial action.

With the bin strike now entering its second year, the council said it could not reintroduce the collections at the moment.

Coun Majid Mahmood, cabinet member for environment and transport, said: "We recognise that residents have been without this service for a year and we are as frustrated as they are." He added that bringing the service back was a "priority" for the council.

"As we progress with our transformation of the waste service, we will be looking at ways we can reintroduce it," he said.

Planned changes to the overall waste management service were previously delayed due to the impact of the bin strike, but these are now set to be rolled out from June this year – regardless of whether industrial action is still taking place or not.

They have been described as a key part of the council's recovery plan and will see collections move from weekly to fortnightly.

Weekly food waste collections and a second recycling bin specifically for recycling paper and cardboard are also set to be introduced.

Mahmood said residents could consider composting their green waste or taking it to a local tip while the collection service was suspended.

The bin strike dispute between Unite and the council was initially triggered by the council's decision to remove the role of waste recycling and collection officer.

Union members started a series of one-day strikes on 6 January 2025, with an all-out strike launched on 11 March.

It led to piles of uncollected waste in the streets and Health Secretary Wes Streeting saying he was concerned for public health.

Workers claimed they faced a pay cut of £8,000 although the authority disputed this figure.

The two parties have so far failed to resolve the dispute despite numerous talks taking place, with the local authority insisting a fair offer had been made.

This news was gathered by the Local Democracy Reporting Service which covers councils and other public service organisations.

Follow BBC Birmingham on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram.