What residents said about living next to rubbish mountain amid Birmingham bin strikes

The culprit is an enormous mountain of bin bags, several metres across, on the corner of Cannon Hill Road and Edward Road, just metres away from homes, shops and other businesses.

Some locals walk past the ever-growing heap of rubbish without giving it as much as a second glance, as if it has become a local landmark that they have grown used to.

For the residents living nearby, this massive pile of waste has been a part of their lives since January – and with that, comes deep concerns over health, rats and the repugnant smell.

Such unpleasant sights have become common across the city in recent weeks as the bins strike continues to take its toll, leaving an estimated 17,000 tonnes of uncollected waste.

The situation, triggered by a dispute between Unite the union and the city council, has now reached the point the latter declared a major incident this week amid rising concerns of risks to public health.

One woman, who lives near this huge rubbish pile in Balsall Heath, told me during my visit that the heap is “getting bigger, wider and higher”.

“The smell is disgusting and getting worse because of the weather,” she said,

The resident, who wished to remain anonymous, continued that she often sees rats scurrying around the heap of rubbish in the evening when it’s quieter, saying: “In a few weeks, there’s going to be rats coming into people’s homes.

“I saw one dragging some food into a bush the other morning.”

She also said she feared there would be “maggots in there forever”.

Asked if the city council is currently taking enough action to combat the strike chaos, she said: “No, not at all – that’s why I’m going to get in touch with my councillor today.

“We’re paying council tax for something the council is not doing.”

She went on to say the community could possibly rally together and chip in to get their own truck to move the mountain of rubbish.

“But should we when we’re paying council tax?” she said. “I hope it’s not going to get worse than it is now – I just don’t know when it’s going to end.”

‘Little rodents are growing in size’

Another resident, who was asked what it’s like living near such a grim sight, simply told me: “It’s hell.”

“[The rubbish heap] shouldn’t be there,” he said. “It’s getting bigger each couple of days.

“It’s going to create problems when the summer weather comes down.”

He continued that he hasn’t had any problems with rats in his property but added: “The little rodents in there [the pile] are growing in size.”

The local also urged the council and union to end their deadlock quickly, saying: “There’s going to be a middle ground between the two parties.

“They need to come to an agreement so the bin men can get back to work.”

One Birmingham resident, who has family in Balsall Heath, was left stunned when he saw the enormous rubbish pile for the first time recently.

“I thought ‘my God, is that how bad the strike has got?’”

He continued that images of bin bags piling high in Birmingham streets were damaging the city’s reputation, despite the council’s cabinet member for environment suggesting otherwise.

“We have taken a mad hit,” he said. “We are one of the top cities but we’re making ourselves look bad here.”

He also urged the striking bin workers not to get “greedy”, saying: “They’re doing a normal job supporting the city just like the rest of us.”

Industrial action was launched by Unite over the council’s plans to scrap the Waste Recycling and Collection Officer (WRCO) role, described by the union as “safety-critical”.

“The council could end this dispute tomorrow by agreeing to pay a decent rate of pay,” Unite’s national officer Onay Kasab has said previously.

“The council is forcing dedicated workers onto pay levels barely above the minimum wage while undertaking a difficult and highly demanding job in all weathers.”

But the council has insisted that a “fair and reasonable offer” has been made, with Coun Majid Mahmood, cabinet member for environment, saying recently: “Not a single worker needs to lose a penny.

“Every worker has been offered the same grade and the same pay within the street scene division of the city council.

“We’re here because we are trying to transform and modernise the service.”

The council added its routes and working practices were fully risk-assessed and health and safety was “everyone’s responsibility”.