A Birmingham resident is reportedly offering £100 to remove rubbish that she claims was 'dumped' in her back garden, as the ongoing bin strike continues to disrupt waste collection services across the city.
Desperate measure on Airtasker
The woman, who goes by the name Chanel C on the outsourcing website Airtasker, posted a task seeking someone to remove black bags full of rubbish left at her address. She set a price of £100 for the work, and multiple users quickly offered their assistance in the comments section.
This desperate measure highlights the frustration felt by many residents as the bin strike dispute enters its second year, with waste collection services severely disrupted and rubbish piling up on streets.
Council leader claims end is 'within sight'
Councillor John Cotton, leader of the Labour-run Birmingham City Council, recently announced that an end to the strike was 'within sight' and that the local authority was close to settling its dispute with the Unite union after reaching an agreement. However, he noted that the pre-election period prevents the council from making a final decision before May 7, the date of the local elections.
This update has been met with scepticism and anger from opposition councillors. The council's Tory group leader described it as a 'pathetic attempt to use taxpayers' money to hold on to power before [Labour] disappear into the abyss'.
Other residents also paying for removal
Elsewhere in the city, another resident offered £90 for rubbish removal, while a third offered £30 for the removal of around 18 black bin bags of general rubbish. These offers underscore the growing desperation among Birmingham residents who are left without a fully functioning waste collection service.
Council's stance on the strike
In March, Councillor Majid Mahmood, cabinet member for environment and transport, apologised for the disruption caused by the strike and called on Unite to also apologise. He stated that the council had made a series of offers to end the strike, all of which had been rejected.
Mahmood confirmed that the council is moving ahead with the implementation of an improved waste service this summer, which will include the rollout of food waste collections from June on a phased basis, along with the return of improved recycling and green waste collection services. He emphasised that this will happen regardless of the industrial action, and urged striking workers to return to work and be part of the new service.
