Council aims to reintroduce recycling collections

Birmingham City Council is working towards reintroducing recycling collections, alongside the transformation of the waste service, its leader has said.

One impact of the bin strike, now in its second year, was the Labour-run authority suspending recycling services, in February 2025.

It previously said its delayed changing of the waste service, including reintroducing recycling, was set to be rolled out in phases from this June.

One opposition Green councillor described the lack of a service for more than a year as "shameful", with the Lib Dems saying that resolving the bin strike was the key to "sorting out this mess" while the Conservatives said the plan amounted to "empty words".

Reform UK has also been contacted for a comment.

Meanwhile, leader John Cotton said the authority was "very keen to get back to a position where we can deliver recycling collections across the city".

Speaking to the Local Democracy Reporting Service, he was asked whether it was still the plan for recycling to be reintroduced, alongside transforming the waste service.

"That's absolutely what we're working towards at the moment," Cotton said.

"I know that there's real frustration around the fact that we've not been able to offer a full range of recycling services over the last year."

The leader added obviously it had continued to collect residual waste weekly.

Robert Alden, leader of Birmingham Conservatives, said residents were desperate for collections to restart.

"A promise, before the election, by an administration in their dying days to do something they have failed to do for 16 months, after the election, will no doubt be seen as entirely empty words," he said.

Green Party councillor Julien Pritchard said it was "shameful" the city had not been recycling waste materials for the past year.

"Birmingham Labour have had over a year to fairly resolve the bin strike and restart recycling collections," he said.

"But 15 months on, most recycling is still lining the streets or going up in smoke in the dirty incinerator."

Pritchard pledged to fight for a resolution to the bin strikes and improve the city's waste and recycling services.

Lib Dem group leader Roger Harmer, said his party welcomed efforts to re-start recycling collections.

"[But] the key to sorting out this mess is resolving the bin strike and the lack of any progress regarding that is very troubling," he explained.

"We also do not agree with moving to fortnightly residual waste collections while the service remains unreliable, with missed collections rates high."

The overall timeline for implementing all the new waste services would take about 12 months starting from June, a council report said.

It stated there would be a "three-month initial implementation phase, followed by a nine-month roll-out and reintegration of services".

"The first three months will focus on workforce mobilisation, alongside comprehensive resident communications and engagement."

This rollout will happen in phases across the Perry Barr, Lifford and Atlas Waste depots in Birmingham.

Transforming the waste service will see household rubbish collections move from weekly to fortnightly.

Weekly food waste collections and a second recycling bin specifically for recycling paper and cardboard are also set to be introduced in phases across the city from June onwards.

The bin strike involving members of Unite The Union was initially triggered by the loss of the Waste Recycling and Collection Officer role.

Striking workers have claimed they face a £8,000 pay cut. The council disputes this figure and insists a fair offer had been made.

This news was gathered by the Local Democracy Reporting Service which covers councils and other public service organisations.

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