Birmingham City Council has issued a crucial update for residents regarding waste collection schedules over the upcoming Christmas and New Year period in 2026, with a specific warning about one bin not to put out.
Revised Collection Dates for the Festive Period
The council has confirmed the annual adjustments to bin collection days to account for the public holidays. With festive waste, including Christmas wrapping paper, expected to accumulate, knowing the correct schedule is vital for households across the city.
The changes are as follows: collections originally scheduled for Christmas Day, Thursday 25 December 2026, will instead take place on Monday 29 December 2026. Similarly, the Boxing Day (26 December) collection is moved to Tuesday 30 December 2026.
For the remainder of the holiday period, all other collections will be pushed back by two days. This means the New Year's Eve collection, due on Thursday 31 December, will happen on Saturday 2 January 2027.
The final revised date sees the collection originally planned for Friday 2 January 2027 taking place on Sunday 4 January 2027. After this date, the service is expected to return to its normal schedule.
Strike Action Continues: Key Bin Warning
Importantly, the council has reiterated that the ongoing industrial action by waste collection staff will continue throughout the festive period. This has a direct impact on recycling services.
In a clear directive, the authority stated: "So do not put your recycling bin (blue lid) out for collection." Recycling collections remain suspended every day while the strike action persists.
The council's reminder, issued on 29 December 2025, advised residents to check a provided table for their rescheduled general waste collection days, confirming that collections on all other days not listed would proceed as normal.
Clinical Waste and Next Steps
For those requiring specialised collections, the council confirmed that clinical waste bag collections will align with the revised general waste collection date for each household.
Residents are urged to plan accordingly and to only present their general waste (grey lid) bins on their newly assigned collection day. The council has warned that presenting blue-lid recycling bins will be futile during the strike and may contribute to street clutter.
The situation underscores the ongoing disruption caused by the industrial dispute, with the festive period—a time of typically high waste volume—posing additional challenges for the city's waste management services.
