Birmingham City Council admits to burning recycling during bin strikes

There are fears of widespread disruption across the city, with Unite union members walking out for 12 days this month and 13 days in March after industrial action was stepped up.

The council confirmed this week that recycling collections had now been suspended and told residents to take their paper, glass, plastic and tin to the tip instead.

Asked what it had been doing with recycling already collected during the strike, the council acknowledged it had sometimes incinerated it.

“The council is making every effort to make sure waste collection services continue during this period of industrial action,” a spokesperson for the council said.

“This may mean we will occasionally collect black bins containing residual waste at the same time as recycling.

“When this happens, we will endeavour to recover recyclable materials through a treatment process.”

“If this is not possible, the waste will be used as a fuel source to generate electricity. Our facility at Tyseley thermally treats waste and has the capability of producing electricity for up to 60,000 homes.”

Veolia operates the Energy Recovery Facility in Tyseley and says it was built to comply with strict European emissions standards that came into force in 1996.

The news that recycling collections had been suspended came as the cash-strapped council revealed a planned 7.5 per cent council tax rise in the new financial year, on top of the near-ten per cent rise imposed last April.

Unite said strike action was being held over the decision to abolish the Waste Recycling and Collection Officer (WRCO) in the waste service, which it described as “safety critical”.

But the city council previously insisted that its planned changes would improve the quality of service delivery and safety.

In a statement, it said: “We are disappointed this action is taking place, but we are continuing to work through the dispute resolution procedure.

“We would like to assure residents that we will do all we can to minimise disruption during any potential industrial action.

“We thank residents for their understanding and patience during this challenging period and assure everyone that we are committed to resolving the situation in the best interest of all parties involved.

“Up-to-date information will be provided via our website, social media and encourage residents to sign up to bin collection newsletter.”

The council continued: “Ensuring the safety of our employees and residents is taken extremely seriously, and health and safety is everyone’s responsibility.

“We have undertaken steps to ensure Birmingham City Council colleagues affected by the change in working arrangements are supported.

“There are several options that are available to suit different personal circumstances, and of the 170 affected employees, over 130 have already opted for redeployment, driver training or voluntary redundancy.

“We have moved quickly to minimise this period of uncertainty for everyone. We are committed to working with our colleagues across the service for the best outcome so that we deliver a consistent and reliable service that Birmingham residents deserve.”