Office-based military planners have been called into Birmingham to help clear the mounting piles of waste across the city, multiple outlets are reporting.
Last week, around 17,000 tonnes of rubbish was uncollected across Birmingham after months of industrial action by refuse workers.
A small number of army office-based planners will provide logistical support to help clear the waste backlog after a government appeal. Soldiers are not being deployed to collect rubbish.
A government spokesperson said: “The government has already provided a number of staff to support the council with logistics and make sure the response on the ground is swift to address the associated public health risks.
“In light of the ongoing public health risk, a small number of office-based military personnel with operational planning expertise have been made available to Birmingham City Council to further support in this area.”
Over 11,500 tonnes of waste collected since 4 April
11,588 tonnes of waste, including the waste taken to HWRCs, has been collected in Birmingham since 4 April 2025, Birmingham City Council says.
The council said its crews have been clearing approximately 1,500 tonnes of waste a day by deploying around 100-120 refuse collection vehicles every day. The council estimates it has around 4,500 tonnes left to clear up this week.
The vehicles deployed include between 40 and 60 repurposed housing and street cleansing vehicles and multiple ‘grab trucks’. The council says it has prioritised clearing 15 of the most affected hotspot wards.
Leader of the Council Cllr John Cotton commented: “Our work to clear the backlog is gathering pace and we will continue collecting waste over the weekend.
“I fully appreciate that there is still more to do, and I share the frustration of people across the city, but now that we are getting our crews out on time every day, we are starting to see a difference and I want to thank our amazing crews for their hard work over the last week.”
The council said it has made progress on clearing the backlog of waste as its vehicles have been able to deploy on time.
One of the reasons the council gave for declaring a major incident over the bin strikes was because of picket lines blocking access to waste depots, saying they can only get one vehicle out per hour.
Unite, the union in dispute with the council, has said the council has ‘smeared’ the behaviour of workers on picket lines.
Last week, Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner urged striking bin workers to accept a deal to end the industrial action.
Unite general secretary Sharon Graham branded the ‘constant attacks and briefings” against workers on strike as a ‘disgrace’.
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