What happened next: Maggots, rats, and growing despair – a year of the Birmingham bin strike
An icy winter morning finds 80-year-old Mohammed Bashir armed with a broom, tackling the mounting rubbish outside his home in Small Heath, Birmingham. This daily struggle has persisted for 50 weeks since the city's bin strike began, and Bashir, like many, is growing frustrated.
"Look at the condition we're living in," he laments. "I've lived here for 64 years, arrived at 16 – never seen it this bad. I'm sick. I try my best, but I just want my area clean."
The streets outside Bashir's home and the nearby mosque are littered with bin bags, broken glass, and furniture. A scorched pavement nearby marks where a recent fire burned a pile of waste. Despite following the council's advice to take rubbish to the local tip, Bashir faces challenges due to online booking requirements and his inability to read or write in English.
The bin strike made headlines in March when the council declared a major incident due to 17,000 tonnes of accumulated waste attracting vermin. While the council employed agency workers, "go-slow" protests by striking bin staff prevented lorries from leaving the depot, exacerbating the waste buildup.
A court injunction in May restored normality, but the city's over a million residents still await resumed regular bin collections. With the workforce on strike, the council relies on a smaller agency workforce, leading to sporadic collections in some areas and no recycling bin collections since early January. A December strike by agency workers threatens further disruption.
The impact is most severe in deprived areas with higher-density living, such as houses in multiple occupation (HMOs) and large families in small homes. Bashir's house, for instance, accommodates eight people, including his children and grandchildren, highlighting the challenge of one bin for such crowded conditions.
The result is an increase in dumped bin bags and fly-tipping as people struggle to dispose of waste. Noor Ahmed, 57, faces health and safety hazards and a foul odor due to rats in her garden and kitchen while caring for her cancer-stricken husband. She and others have formed groups to assist older residents in disposing of their waste, despite the ongoing strike's impact.
Robert Charlton, a pest control business owner, reports a record-breaking year due to the strike, with rodents seeking food and shelter. He's worked tirelessly, responding to calls for mice, rats, and dead foxes attracted to piled-up bin bags, often dealing with distressed families.
The environmental toll of the bin strike is significant. With recycling collections paused for almost a year, more waste is directed to general waste, much of which ends up in an incinerator. Birmingham's recycling rate has plummeted to 14%, far below the council's target of 35% and the England average of 44%.
John Newson from Birmingham Friends of the Earth highlights the impact on 1.2 million residents, emphasizing the ongoing lack of recycling collection. He warns of potential long-term disruptions to recycling habits, attributing the situation to confusion and a breakdown of trust.
Shafaq Hussain, a community leader, notes the challenge of reintroducing recycling in his area, where issues have persisted. He advocates for an end to the strike or central government intervention, emphasizing the residents' frustration and the need for transparency in negotiations.
On the picket line, striking bin workers remain resolute, having extended their strike mandate to May 2026, coinciding with Labour's bid to retain council control in local elections. They seek pay protection for fellow workers and the reinstatement of the waste and recycling collection officer role, which the council argues poses an equal-pay liability risk.
Basmin Khan's viral videos of huge piles of waste in Small Heath have sparked toxic rhetoric directed at deprived areas with large BAME populations. She advocates for more security cameras to combat fly-tipping and an end to the prolonged strike, emphasizing the need for change.
Despite challenges, the community's resilience and determination persist, driven by the desire for a cleaner, healthier environment and a fair resolution to the bin strike.
