Birmingham's bulky waste collections could return before the bins strike is resolved, but garden waste collections remain "challenging" to reinstate, according to council officers.
Both services were suspended during the industrial action, and no definite dates have been set for their return. Councillor Harris Khaliq, cabinet member for city operations and digital, said the services were on the new administration's radar but could form part of a future 'package' in the coming years.
Bulky waste may return first
At a neighbourhoods scrutiny meeting, Conservative councillor Richard Parkin pressed for clarity. "Garden waste in particular is something I get asked about all the time. So a quick yes or no – will either of those services return during the bins strike or does the industrial action need to have been resolved before either of those services can be brought back?"
Chris Smiles, head of waste and logistics at Birmingham Council, responded: "So bulky waste I'm working on to try and bring that in before any resolution [to the industrial action], should one be found. It will probably be the old bulky waste service – let's just get that service back in and then improve it as we go along."
Regarding garden waste, Smiles said: "Garden waste is a bit more challenging. I am trying but I do need to balance the resource model. I can give you a definite answer next time, I need to work on it councillor."
Pilot changes underway in north Birmingham
Major changes to bin collections are currently being rolled out across the north of Birmingham as part of a pilot. The package includes household rubbish moving from weekly to fortnightly collections, a second recycling bin, and a food waste collection. The council says the effectiveness of the pilot will be assessed before a decision is made on whether to keep this arrangement and introduce it citywide.
Reform councillor Alan Feeney raised bulky waste, saying: "Until [those] services by the council are cheaper than the man in the van who chucks it over a hedge, until we can compete with that we're never going to beat the problem."
Coalition commits to cleaner city
A coalition of Liberal Democrats, Greens and various independents now runs Birmingham Council and is responsible for waste collection. Cllr Khaliq recently said one of the coalition's key commitments was to "clean up this fantastic city".
"[This] is why it's essential that we improve waste collection and test the best way to do this in Birmingham," he said. "We took a step back and reflected on the transformation programme, and this approach is designed to give households more opportunities to recycle, provide more capacity for their waste and put in additional measures to tackle issues such as fly-tipping. We have listened to people's concerns and will continue to do so, adjusting the new ways of working based on feedback throughout the pilot phase."
He added: "Birmingham must have a waste service that works and provides value for money. If we continue with low recycling rates, the city could lose out on millions of pounds of government funding that could go back into funding services for residents. The new system means people get more collections, more value for money and cleaner streets."
Cllr Khaliq also said there would be more CCTV cameras and new enforcement officers "in parallel" with the new service to help clean up the city.
