Some householders just asked for their recycling wheelie bins to be emptied after a year of missed services
12:11, 09 Mar 2026Updated 14:42, 09 Mar 2026
Food waste bins delivered in Birmingham
Food waste recycling caddies have been rolled out to 10,000 households across Birmingham as the bins strike rumbles on.
The brown recycling caddies and compostable bin liners were delivered to six city wards over the weekend as part of a pilot scheme launched this month to reduce landfill waste.
The areas to receive an indoor and outside bin include Bromford & Hodge Hill, Kings Norton South, Moseley, Stirchley, Stockland Green and Sutton Four Oaks.
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Eventually every household in Birmingham will get four new bins and caddies as the council makes the change to fortnightly rubbish collections.
Ordinary waste will be collected fortnightly, with two lots of recycling – one for paper and cardboard and one for plastics, cans and glass – collected on alternate weeks.
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Some people took to social media pleading for their regular recycling waste to be collected after more than a year of missed services.
The Labour-run council confirmed recently its delayed transformation of the waste service, which includes the reintroduction of recycling, is set to be rolled out from this June – regardless of the strike.
But not everyone was happy. Businessman Barry Tomes, owner of Gotham Records, stuck a note on his caddy asking for it to be returned.
Food waste bins delivered in Birmingham(Image: Majid Mahmood)
He wrote on Facebook: “Note to Birmingham City Council. You are about to embark on another money-wasting failure ill-thought-out.
“So now we have two new containers being delivered for food waste. It will end badly.
“Anyone using a designated food waste bin in their kitchen will have masses of flies. When this is put into another small box outside they will become designated rat self-service containers.
“They will be opened by foxes, badgers and stray dogs. They will blow around the streets and become a safety hazard. I look forward to the U-turn you will be forced to do.”
But city environment boss Coun Majid Mahmood said: “Residents will see a real difference with the new service.
“We have already made some changes, with our new council-owned fleet fully operational – there is less reliance on hired vehicles, improved reliability and better consistency in collections.
“Our crews have the tools they need to deliver a more reliable, efficient service while also supporting the city’s environmental goals, benefiting both residents and staff.
“The transformed service will bring Birmingham into line with other councils, improve recycling rates and provide a service our residents need and deserve.”