Birmingham residents face five month wait for recycling collections due to 'non-viable' negotiations with striking workers

Birmingham residents may have to wait a few more months for recycling collections to return as the bins strike reaches the bleak one year milestone.

The industrial action, which started on January 6 last year, not only left uncollected waste in city streets during its height and attracted unwanted headlines but it also saw the suspension of recycling collections.

Over the past 12 months, Brummies have had to either hoard their recycling, dispose of it in their household rubbish bins or make trips to the tip.

Labour-run Birmingham City Council confirmed last month that its delayed transformation of the waste service, which includes the reintroduction of recycling, is set to go ahead this June – regardless of the strike.

This means if the strike does indeed continue into the summer, recycling collections may not return until at least June – around 15 months after they were first suspended.

Coun Majid Mahmood, the council’s cabinet member for environment, was asked in December what his message is to Brummies who feel let down by the possibility of having not having recycling collections for more than a year.

“I understand the frustration of residents,” he said. “I would like to thank them for their patience and understanding.

“Our recycling [rate] has gone down from 23 per cent to 15 per cent – I would thank all the residents who have been making trips to the household recycling centres.

“To support them, we have extended the hours of operation and we’ve removed the booking system at Castle Bromwich.

“I also want to thank the residents who have been supporting family, friends and neighbours to use the mobile household recycling sites which have been operating across the city.”

The Labour councillor continued that his focus was on transforming the council’s waste service, which has suffered from “high missed collections in the city and low recycling rates”.

“The whole purpose of this transformation is to change that,” he said.

“We want to best in class in the country, so thank you again to the residents.”

With the strike now having dragged on into 2026, Coun Mahmood was also asked about inner-city areas such as Bordesley Green, which continue to struggle with rubbish and fly-tipping.

“Bordesley Green has unfortunately suffered from high reported fly-tipping cases for as long as I’ve been a cabinet member in this portfolio,” he said.

“Consistently we’ve tried to support residents – we’ve expanded the mobile household and household recycling services.

“Fly-tipping is an eyesore and a hazard, please report that to us as a council – we can take enforcement action.”

Waste transformation

The transformation of the waste service is a key aspect of the crisis-hit council’s recovery plan and will see collections of household rubbish 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 in phases across the city from June 2026 onwards.

A recently-published council report added that the waste service team will investigate wider options to reinstate recycling and green waste “as soon as reasonably practicable”.

The bins strike dispute between the council and Unite the union was initially sparked by the loss of the Waste Recycling and Collection Officer (WRCO) role.

Striking workers have raised concerns about pay while the Labour-run council’s leadership has repeatedly insisted that a “fair and reasonable” offer had been made.

You can read more about how the Birmingham bins strike has unfolded over the past 12 months here and why government-appointed commissioners suggest that resuming negotiations are no longer a ‘viable option’ here.