Councillor Timothy Huxtable, Cabinet Member for Transportation and Regeneration speaks about ongoing efforts to clear the backlog of domestic waste in Birmingham.
“We are faced with ongoing industrial action which involves a go slow approach by our regular staff. They are using guerrilla tactics and deliberately leaving rubbish in certain areas that they know will create the most inconvenience for the public.
“With the help of the public, media and other council staff we have tried to identify where this rubbish has been left and have been and continue to send our casual workforce to remove it. Regular crews are trying to jeopardise the efforts of our casual crews, by piling up sacks for collection and then leaving them. Residents also tell us that they are going into roads, groves and cul de sacs and driving out without collecting a single bag. Also the weight of the rubbish collected by many of the crews is significantly lower than usual due to the go slow.
“To respond to this we have mounted a significant operation to deal with these challenges. There has been a Herculean effort to collect the outstanding waste. Yesterday (Saturday 8 January) our casual crews collected 600 tonnes of rubbish alone, which equates to 120,000 sacks of rubbish. Today we hope to do the same again.
“We are now in a position where we have collected the majority of domestic waste which was the result of ongoing industrial action, plus increased volumes and severe weather problems over the festive period.
“Tonight (Sunday 9 January) we expect Monday’s rubbish to be put out as usual for collection by our regular workforce tomorrow. Any waste left will be collected as soon as possible by the casual workforce. However, our efforts to do this will be hampered if regular crews continue to selectively leave scheduled work that they are being paid to collect. We will continue to retain the casual crews working seven days a week throughout any ongoing industrial action, picking up rubbish where regular crews continue to miss it.”
Ends
Further information from Belinder Kaur Lidher on 0121 303 6969
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I live in Queens Park Road, Harborne B32. We are a Monday Collection but refuse has not been cleared for two weeks. Surrounding roads ( Court Oak Rd. Tennal Rd. and Tennal Lane) have had collections, any hope this week?
A crew drove down my road, Elmdale Crescent at around 9am Friday morning paused awhile and then carried on without collecting a single bag. We have not had any rubbish collected for three Thursdays in a row now, and is still waiting. Some of the surrounding roads have had their rubbish collected which does not make any sense as to why ours has not.
Please hurry!
Many thanks