Birmingham City Council leader John Cotton announced this week that an end to the bins strike was finally 'within sight'. However, many residents are wondering when recycling collections, suspended since February 2025, will return.
Recycling Collections Suspended for 14 Months
Brummies have had to hoard recycling, dispose of it in household rubbish, or make trips to the tip due to the strike. The council is close to settling its dispute with Unite the union after reaching an agreement.
Councillor Cotton said a 'new improved offer can be made and terms can be put in place' addressing previous issues. But the pre-election period prevents a final decision before May 7, the local elections date. An official end to the strike may not happen until after the elections, and the outcome could affect the situation.
Phased Rollout from June 2026
The council has previously stated that the delayed transformation of the waste service, including reintroduction of recycling, will be rolled out in phases from June 2026, regardless of the strike. The overall timeline for implementing all new waste services will take around 12 months, with a three-month initial implementation phase followed by a nine-month roll-out and reintegration of services. The rollout will begin in Perry Barr, Lifford, and Atlas Waste depots.
Councillor Cotton earlier said the council is working towards reintroducing recycling alongside the transformation. 'We've been continuing to collect residual waste weekly and are keen to deliver recycling collections across the city,' he said.
Weekly Food Waste and New Recycling Bin
The planned transformation includes weekly food waste collections and a second recycling bin for paper and cardboard from June. However, the local elections could impact the move to fortnightly household rubbish collections.
Conservative leader Robert Alden pledged to keep weekly bin collections, while Liberal Democrat leader Roger Harmer said they would maintain weekly collections until services are reliable. Green Party councillor Julien Pritchard noted that no party will have an overall majority, and the priority is to make the waste service reliable. Reform UK candidate Jex Parkin indicated he would like weekly bin collections.
Opposition Criticism
Opposition councillors criticized the timing of the announcement. Councillor Alden called it a 'pathetic attempt to use taxpayers' money to hold on to power.' Councillor Harmer said it was a 'cynical pre-election ploy' and questioned why the deal wasn't done months ago. Councillor Pritchard described it as 'utterly cynical and desperate.'
Councillor Cotton acknowledged the process was challenging but said the deal would be good for the workforce and represent good value for money. Unite the union warned that if the offer is reneged on, the union will escalate the dispute.
