Weekly rubbish collection consigned to the bin
WEEKLY bin collections are on their way out in Birmingham. The move is expected to save around £4.5 million a year.
A new fortnightly collection scheme is set to be introduced in selected pilot areas later this year, with the aim to switch to a citywide scheme in 2025-26.
Birmingham has long held out against calls to switch to less frequent rubbish collections, despite that being the norm now across the country.
The council has previously pushed back against doing so because of the high number of households in high rises and terraces who rely on black bin bags still, and the risk of adding to filth in the streets.
There have also been concerns about a backlash from powerful bins unions over any job losses that might be part of any transformation package. But for the first time the Labour leadership has said it is committed to ending weekly collections. In his budget briefing, council leader John Cotton said that it was now on the cards.
Fortnightly residual waste collections will be brought in from 2025-26, which would also coincide with the introduction of a new food waste collection service, in line with government orders.
Pilots will be carried out in selected areas across the city this year, the leadership said.
The aim is to save £4.5 million next year, though it’s not yet clear how that will be achieved.
The Post understands that Labour backbenchers have been challenging the leadership in recent weeks over its plans to protect the weekly collections service. One told the Post that they would struggle to “sell” a budget that
Bin collections will go fortnightly
seemed to value “bins not kids”. A motion was put by two backbenchers to the internal Labour group of councillors, pressing the leadership to rethink their position. The announcement appears to be the outcome of those discussions.
A low recycling rate across the city has also long been a cause of concern, with Birmingham recycling less than a quarter of its waste, making it one of the lowest in the country, according to data from Defra (2023). It is hoped alternating landfill and recycling collections will help bring about improvements.
The government has also separately ordered all councils to introduce food-waste collections by 2026.
Asked about the proposal, Birmingham’s Conservatives group leader Cllr Robert Alden said: “The Labour leadership are looking to scrap weekly bin collections, but also to reduce street cleaning staff. “Frankly, many parts of the city have filthy streets, and overflowing bins and fly-tipping posing a health risk. The council should be doing far more to keep the streets clean, not potentially make things more hazardous.”
A FORMER Labour MP has been suspended from his role as a housing association chief after a post about Hamas.
Lord Ian Austin had implied Hamas was operating under a United Nations relief base for Palestine refugees in Gaza in a now deleted post on X.
The chairman for Midland Heart, a Birmingham-based social landlord organisation, said it was not his intention to offend anyone.
Michael Gove, the secretary of state for levelling up, housing and communities, added he was “deeply concerned” by Midland Heart’s actions. “Not only is Ian a champion for affordable housing, he has spent his career fighting racism,” he said.
A Midland Heart meeting has now been arranged “to discuss his removal from the board”.
The former Dudley North MP posted: “People have complained about a tweet I issued at the weekend about Hamas’ operations centre being underneath UNWRA’s offices. It was not my intention to offend anyone and I have deleted it.
“As I have written and said many times, the vast majority of Muslims are just as appalled by racism and terrorism as everyone else.” Midland Heart, which owns and manage 35,000 high-quality, safe and affordable homes, responded to the situation on the same day.
It posted on X: “We’ve been contacted today regarding a post made by our chair earlier this week. He has since clarified the points made in this tweet and deleted the post. We understand the strength of feeling on this issue and like everyone are deeply saddened by the human tragedy.” Two days later Midland Heart posted that Lord Austin had been suspended from duties.
It said on Friday, February 16: “Lord Austin has been suspended from his duties at Midland Heart, a meeting has been arranged for 14 days’ time, in line with rules of the association, to discuss his removal from the board.
Llewelyn Graham, our senior independent board member and chief executive of Nehemiah Housing, will step into the role of chair during this period.”
Lord Austin