A Birmingham street has been left with a 'real stench' of rubbish and reports of rats 'the size of cats' as the ongoing bin strikes push residents to take drastic action. In the Bordesley Green area, people on one road have resorted to clubbing together to pay for a weekly communal skip, each contributing just £1.
The Shocking State of Cherrywood Road
The dire situation was highlighted by the anonymous TikTok litter-picker known as DailyRubbish, who has amassed 185,000 followers. While he travels across the Midlands, he receives a high volume of requests from Birmingham. He singled out Cherrywood Road in Bordesley Green as particularly shocking, noting the overpowering smell of refuse.
"There's other places I've been to where there's loads of litter, but this one, there was a real stench of rubbish," he said. Locals told him there was little point in cleaning up, as the mess would quickly return. The scale of the problem was so severe that DailyRubbish had to visit Small Heath park twice due to the overwhelming amount of litter.
Residents Take Matters Into Their Own Hands
Frustrated by the mounting waste, residents on one street have organised their own solution. A local homeowner now orders a skip each week and charges every household on the road £1 to use it. This collective effort ensures their rubbish is removed regularly despite the industrial action.
One new resident on Fourth and Fifth Avenue described the rodent problem as "next level," claiming to have seen rats bigger than cats. "This area, there's rubbish everywhere. The rats are bigger than a cat, I swear down," they told the litter-picker, adding they now cross the road to avoid the worst spots.
The Rise of the 'Good Samaritan' Litter-Picker
The DailyRubbish account began six months ago with a simple mission: to make litter picking look cool and inspire environmental care. For every new follower, the anonymous volunteer pledged to pick up one piece of litter. His popularity has soared, with his first Birmingham clean-up in Sparkhill gaining 2.8 million views.
He has since been invited to numerous streets across the city, from Alum Rock and Aston to Sparkbrook and the city centre. He praised the people of Birmingham for their gratitude, stating, "Birmingham has the most amount of people that say thank you, and are just so grateful... It's more than anywhere I've been."
The bin strike continues to impact communities, forcing residents to find innovative and communal ways to manage the waste crisis piling up on their doorsteps.
