Residents in Birmingham are expressing growing frustration amid ongoing strikes by refuse workers, which have exacerbated issues with fly-tipping and waste management in the city. The industrial action, which has led to a significant backlog of rubbish collection, prompted Birmingham City Council to declare a major incident last week. Contingency plans have been initiated to manage the waste crisis, but large piles of uncollected rubbish are still prominent on the streets.
Local residents have reported a sharp increase in fly-tipping incidents, with waste being dumped indiscriminately near homes. This has led to further discontent as sightings of large rats, described by some as "the size of cats," have been reported in the vicinity of the refuse. Paddy, a 41-year-old resident, shared his frustrations with BirminghamLive, stating, "I've come out and rowed with people taking bags out of their vans and dumping it, they are not from around here." He noted that the situation has led to infestations in his home, with "mouse droppings all over the window sill" and even damage to his furniture, which has been chewed through by the vermin.
Zaida Parveen, a mother of four, expressed similar concerns, indicating that waste dumping has become a common issue in her area. "People are dumping on the corners and it's not us doing it," she stated. Parveen reminisced about better times when the area was clean and suitable for her children to play outside, contrasting it with the current state of affairs. "Now we can't let them out because of the rubbish," she said, adding that the situation has worsened significantly since the strikes began.
The council has stated that normally, over 500,000 waste collections occur each week. However, due to the strike action and an ongoing blockade at depots, collections have drastically reduced, with contingency plans only able to manage around 360,000 weekly. A post on the council's Facebook page advised residents to avoid following waste trucks for their safety and instructed them to place rubbish next to their wheelie bins at their usual collection points.
Furthermore, the council has acknowledged the severity of the situation, revealing that approximately 17,000 tonnes of waste remains uncollected across the city. "Actions on the picket line have prevented us from doing this," the council stated in response to the ongoing industrial action. "The daily blocking of our depots by pickets has meant that we cannot get our vehicles out to collect waste from residents. Often, we can only get one vehicle out per hour."
The council's decision to declare a major incident underscores the rising concerns regarding public health and environmental hazards posed by the accumulating waste. As pressures mount on local authorities and residents endure the impacts of the strikes, the situation continues to develop, highlighting the challenges of maintaining waste management services during industrial action.
Source: Noah Wire Services