Recycling collections return to some parts of the city next week, as the Council unveils a new ‘waste improvement pilot’ in North Birmingham and Sutton Coldfield. This includes a second recycling bin to improve recycling rates and weekly food waste collections.
New bins will be delivered to households from today (Tuesday, June 30), with collections starting on Monday (July 6). The pilot will be assessed before a decision is made on whether to roll this waste collection out across the city. Testing of additional waste collection methods will begin shortly in other areas of Birmingham.
This larger waste improvement pilot follows a smaller food waste pilot that launched in March 2026—where over 110 tonnes of food waste were collected and transformed into green energy and fertiliser. Provided with kitchen caddies, residents were encouraged to recycle all food waste.
To support the pilot, further resources for the clean-ups of local areas and mobile household recycling centres, supported by targeted enforcement, will also be introduced. The aim is to bring Birmingham into line with other councils and improve the city’s recycling rates.
Households in the following wards may be included in this pilot:
- Aston
- Birchfield
- Castle Vale
- Erdington
- Gravelly Hill
- Handsworth
- Handsworth Wood
- Holyhead
- Kingstanding
- Lozells
- Oscott
- Perry Barr
- Perry Common
- Pype Hayes
- Stockland Green
- Sutton Four Oaks
- Sutton Mere Green
- Sutton Reddicap
- Sutton Roughley
- Sutton Trinity
- Sutton Vesey
- Sutton Walmley and Minworth
- Sutton Wylde Green
Councillor Harris Khaliq, Cabinet Member for City Services and Digital, said:
“One of our key commitments as the council’s new administration is to clean up this fantastic city, which is why it’s essential that we improve waste collection and test the best way to do this in Birmingham.
“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.
“Birmingham’s new administration is absolutely focused on making sure this city has a waste service residents can be proud of. 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.
“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. We want to work with everyone in the pilot areas to make this a success that can benefit the whole city.
“In parallel with the new service, there will be more CCTV cameras and new enforcement officers to help clean up the city.
“I’d like to thank the residents on the food waste pilot scheme for participating and helping us understand the requirements for a new collection service. This scheme has helped us understand how best to continue with a secondary pilot in the North Birmingham and Sutton Coldfield area and supports our ambitions to become a cleaner, greener city.”
No end to the bin strikes…
This pilot has no bearing on the long-running bin strike in Birmingham, which has been going on since the start of 2025. The former Birmingham City Council leader, John Cotton, had announced a negotiated settlement with Unite the Union to end the rubbish pile-up in April. But there has been no update since the May local elections that saw Labour lose control of the city council after 14 years.
