Birmingham City Council has reversed a key part of its waste collection pilot, taking flats and maisonettes out of the fortnightly household waste scheme. The decision means properties with individual bins in the pilot area will now return to weekly black bin collections, while still receiving fortnightly recycling pickups. The move follows reports of waste piling up outside maisonettes in Sutton Coldfield, with Councillor Richard Parkin (Sutton Reddicap, Conservative) calling on the authority to reconsider.
The pilot involves around 110,000 homes in the north of the city, with black bins collected every other week rather than weekly. Recycling collections are being reintroduced for these households after a gap of more than 18 months, taking place on alternate weeks. New weekly food waste collections are also part of the trial, which covers Aston, Birchfield, Castle Vale, Erdington, Gravelly Hill, Handsworth, Handsworth Wood, Holyhead, Kingstanding, Lozells, Oscott, Perry Barr, Perry Common, Pype Hayes, Stockland Green, Sutton Four Oaks, Sutton Mere Green, Sutton Reddicap, Sutton Roughley, Sutton Trinity, Sutton Vesey, Sutton Walmley and Minworth, and Sutton Wylde Green.
Why flats were excluded
Communal blocks, which the council categorises as maisonettes, have individual property bins rather than shared large bins. Concerns had been raised that these households have limited space for extra containers and can generate significant waste. Coun Parkin said he had seen the consequences in Churchill Road in Falcon Lodge, where black bin bags piled up on wheelie bins outside flats, causing a mess. He urged the council to pause the scheme for such properties and engage with local representatives.
The council has now confirmed that flats in the pilot area will not be part of the fortnightly household waste collections. Instead, they will continue with weekly waste collections and fortnightly recycling. The food waste recycling trial will also not apply to these properties at this time.
Statements from councillors
Coun Parkin said: “The waste pilot has been put on hold for flats, which have been put back on weekly household waste collections and fortnightly recycling collections. As the waste pilot scheme is rolled out across north Birmingham, I have been liaising with Birmingham City Council all [last] week to make it aware of the issues that have arisen, because of fortnightly household waste collections at flats in our area and elsewhere. Rubbish has been left piling up outside flats, which have suddenly been put on alternate fortnightly household waste and recycling collections. Many flat residents have not received new recycling bins or food caddies, others have no room to store them. Having reviewed the service provision and engaged with local Conservative councillors such as myself, the council now intends to pause the rollout of the pilot service at flats. Flats/maisonettes will temporarily go back to weekly household waste collections - along with fortnightly recycling collections, which we have also successfully pushed for, until measures are put in place to more effectively support the pilot scheme at these types of properties. It is hoped the measures being brought forward will then enable flats to participate in alternate fortnightly household waste/recycling collections and weekly food waste collections in line with the pilot scheme elsewhere.”
Coun Parkin said the council had listened to concerns and he had gone around his ward to identify all flats that should now return to weekly collections. He added that other areas had experienced similar problems, including in nearby Erdington.
Council response
Cabinet member for city services and digital, Coun Harris Khaliq (Ward End, Better Birmingham), said: “This is a pilot and, as with any pilot, we are continuously reviewing the evidence, listening to feedback from residents and adapting our approach where improvements can be made. The arrangements for flats remain unchanged, with weekly household waste collections continuing as planned. Through the review process, we identified collection arrangements for maisonette properties required a different approach and have therefore updated the service based on what we have learned so far. Maisonette residents will continue to receive a weekly household waste collection alongside access to fortnightly recycling collections. We are also developing a dedicated food waste recycling pilot for maisonettes to ensure any future arrangements are practical and effective for residents. Pilots are designed to test, learn and refine. As we continue this work, we will keep listening to residents and make evidence-based improvements to help shape the future waste and recycling service for Birmingham. Collection arrangements for flats will continue to be reviewed as we develop and implement future recycling services for these properties.”
Coun Parkin added: ”These problems could have been avoided had the council listened to councillors in the first place and not rushed out the scheme.”
