Words by Ed King
Birmingham City Council’s Public Participation Team will be back in Erdington Town Centre on Wednesday 29 July, to talk to local residents about the proposed changes to household waste and recycling collections.
The team will be meeting members of the public at the High Street Hut – the wooden chalet on the pedestrianised area of Erdington High Street in between B&M and Wilton Market – from 12:30am to 4pm.
There is not advance booking required, with the team talking to Erdington locals on a first come first seen basis.
Erdington Business Improvement District (BID) will be setting up some additional seating and cover, as well as free bottle of waters, so people can wait in comfort to be seen and allow more residents to have a chance to engage with the Council.
The ‘Engage with Waste’ Public Participation Team first came to Erdington High Street on 16 July, as part of an ongoing public consultation campaign ahead of the proposed changes to household waste and recycling collections.
The team are also looking for feedback from members of the public about the upcoming changes to waste and recycling services, which they state could “directly shape” how the services are to be delivered.
(Please note, the Public Participation Team are not responsible for any policy making, legislation, or disputes over working practices, employment status, and pay.)
A spokesperson for the Public Participation Team told Erdington Local: “We are really pleased to have the opportunity to speak with Erdington residents directly about the upcoming changes to their waste and recycling services.
“Our goal is to help everyone understand the new weekly food waste collections and the return of recycling services, which now include additional recycling capacity.”
They added: “We are here to support the community with any questions they might have, and importantly, to gather their feedback. Listening to Erdington residents will directly shape how we communicate and roll out these services across the rest of the city.”
Birmingham City Council has been in an ongoing dispute with Waste Management works and the unions that represent them, especially Unite the Union, since January 2025.
Following the recent Council Elections in May, the minority coalition – led by Cllr Roger Harker (Lib Dems) and Cllr Julien Pritchard (Greens) – announced a new schedule of household waste and recycling collections, although many outside the Cabinet raised concerns over a lack of consultation on the new policy.
Birmingham City Council is subsequently rolling out a public engagement campaign across the city, to talk directly to Birmingham residents about the proposed changes.
For more on waste and recycling services across Birmingham, visit www.birmingham.gov.uk/info/20009/waste_and_recycling
