Residents across North Birmingham and Sutton Coldfield are to become the first to get their recycling service back and new food waste collections under major new changes announced today.
They will also be the first to get their weekly black bin collections axed in favour of a new fortnightly alternating service. Black bins of general waste will be picked up one week and recycling bins collected the other week under the new scheme.
The major changes kick in from TOMORROW, June 30, when new bins will be delivered to affected homes.
Thousands of households whose bins are normally collected by the crews based at the Perry Barr waste depot will then start to switch to the new multi-bin collection service, starting week beginning July 6.
READ MORE: Three major changes to Birmingham bin collections confirmed as council vows to ‘clean up’ city
The rest of the city will have to wait but most households should have the new service in place by Christmas.
Separate arrangements are being put in place for tower blocks, multiple occupied premises and hard to reach flats which rely on black bin bags, said the council.
The transformation project comes in despite no end yet to the 18 month dispute between Birmingham City Council and the bins union Unite, with talks continuing to try to come up with a workable solution. Both Unite and the council are currently tightlipped on progress, with talks said to be at a sensitive stage.
Resolving the bin strike remained the ‘top priority’ of the council, said cabinet member for city services and digital, Cllr Harris Khaliq, Better Birmingham Independents, Ward End.
But the new way of collecting waste could not be put on hold indefinitely, he added.
Cllr Harris Khaliq, cabinet member for city operations and digital -Credit:Jane Haynes
The new coalition administration hailed it as a ‘vital and exciting’ first step towards a transformed and better waste collection service.
Cllr Khaliq acknowledged there would need to be a lot of ‘learning, relearning and engagement’ with residents to make it work, especially after a long period of ‘dumping everything in one bin’ because of the bin strike.
“There will have to be a lot of relearning…it took us a long time to get into recycling habits…now we have to learn new habits.”
He added: “Every household will get a package of information specific to them, including calendars setting out when each collection will take place. The website is being updated and information will be regularly updated online.”
Birmingham’s striking bin workers and MPs met outside Parliament -Credit:Unite
Cllr Khaliq, Independent, Ward End, was one of those who had campaigned during the local elections against the loss of weekly black bin collections.
But he said he was now comfortable that the transformation project would improve lives in the inner city and help end the blight of dirty streets and flytipping.
“Many of us in the new (Greens-LibDem-Better Birmingham Independents) administration represent the most challenged parts of the city and were concerned about the impact there. We looked at what else could be done to support those areas.
“We have committed to ramping up CCTV to enforce against hotspots for flytipping.
“There will also more street cleaning as part of the rollout. When we included more cameras, enforcement and more street cleaning…that has helped us become more comfortable with it.”
The scheme will also come up with bespoke solutions for those who live in tower blocks, multiple-occupied properties, in flats above shops and others who currently use black bin bags. “They will continue to receive a weekly collection for now, in most cases,” he added. “But we will survey all flats, all tower blocks, and find individual solutions.”
Added Councillor Khaliq: “One size does not fit all in Birmingham.”
First to come on stream will be homes in the north of the city and the areas served by the Perry Barr depot. That includes all eight Sutton Coldfield wards, Handsworth, Handsworth Wood, Perry Barr, Perry Common, Oscott, Kingstanding, Stockland Green, Gravelly Hill, Birchfield, Erdington, Pype Hayes, Castle Vale, and parts of Lozells, Aston and Holyhead.
Not all properties will start the new service immediately, with streets being added gradually. Feedback will help inform any changes before the next phase, he added.
Next to come on stream will be the south of the city, chosen because of specific challenges in those areas, followed by central and east Birmingham.
Food waste bins being delivered in Birmingham -Credit:Majid Mahmood
The intention was to have the transformation in place by Christmas.
Eventually, most households will have:
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recyclable waste collected every two weeks, divided between a blue lidded bin for plastic, glass, cans and tins, and a green lidded bin for cardboard and paper
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food waste collected every week from a new food waste bin
Residents are urged to check out the changes to your waste collection page on the council’s website to see how they are affected. Letters are also going out to every household alongside a social media campaign and work in local neighbourhoods led by council engagement teams.
Letters landed on the doormats of thousands of homes last week, warning them of the impending change to their bin collections.
It was the first they, or anyone, knew about the update.
The plan to transform the way rubbish was collected across the city had been agreed by the previous Labour administration but was put on hold by the incoming coalition administration after local elections in May.
A map of Birmingham showing Birmingham’s three bin depots at Perry Barr, Atlas in Tyseley and Lifford in Kings Norton (also including the temporary Smithfield depot). -Credit:Birmingham City Council
Said Cllr Khaliq: “One of our key commitments as the council’s new administration is to clean up this fantastic city, which is why it’s essential for the changes in relation to waste collection to go ahead, supported by additional measures.
“We are initially piloting the improved service in order to gather data and feedback so we can make informed decisions on what works best for residents.
“We want residents to have the best waste service and the new improved service will mean more waste capacity. People getting the new service will be getting a weekly food waste collection, following the successful pilot, and a second recycling bin.
“This means that all that will be left for the fortnightly general waste collection will be whatever can’t be recycled – so the waste that causes the most concern, such as smelly food leftovers, will be collected weekly.
“All this will be supported with parallel activity taking place including extra clean-up measures and new investment into enforcement so we can all do our bit to keep the city clean.”
Over the coming weeks affected households will receive new bins and a food waste caddy, alongside detailed information and explainers.
All residents can check your collection day on the council website, which will be regularly updated.
Opposition groups including the Conservatives, Reform and Labour have all criticised the new administration for its ‘u-turn’ over bin collections, claiming the Liberal Democrats and many Independents had actively pressed for weekly collections to stay.