Birmingham council bulky waste collections are paused
The council has stopped taking new bulky waste bookings because of the strike, and the tips are not accepting van loads. Here is exactly where that leaves you, including the options that do not involve paying us.
Current status
New bulky waste requests: paused
Existing bookings: still being honoured
Council fee when running: £49.50 for up to 10 items
Tips accepting vans: no, not during the industrial action
What the council has actually said
On its own bulky waste collection page, Birmingham City Council states that because of the increased level of strike action by Unite the Union, it has paused taking requests for the removal of bulky waste. Collections that were already booked are still going ahead.
The dispute has been running since March 2025 and, at the time of writing, is still not resolved.
Why the usual back up plan does not work either
Normally, when a council collection is slow, people borrow a van and drive it to the tip. That route is currently closed too. During the industrial action, the mobile household waste centres are not accepting waste brought in vans, from residents or from businesses.
You can still take a car boot load to one of the five household recycling centres, with proof of a Birmingham address. But a wardrobe, a three piece suite and a fridge do not go in a car boot, which is rather the point of a bulky waste service.
So your realistic options are
1. Wait. Free, and it might be a while. Fine if the sofa is in the garage. Less fine if it is in the hallway.
2. Hire a skip. Around two hundred and fifty pounds for a builders skip in Birmingham, plus a council permit if it goes on the road. You load it yourself.
3. Use a licensed waste carrier. Us, or somebody like us. More than £49.50, less than a skip, and it happens this week rather than at some undefined point in the future.
Please do not use the cheap bloke on Facebook
Every time a council waste service stops, the number of unlicensed van men goes up, and so does fly tipping. Those two facts are connected.
Here is the part that matters to you. Under the Environmental Protection Act you have a household duty of care for your own waste. If you hand it to somebody who dumps it in a lay by, and the council finds a letter with your address inside one of the bags, you get the fixed penalty notice. Birmingham has taken fly tippers to court and does enforce this.
It takes about thirty seconds to protect yourself:
- Ask for their waste carrier registration number. It looks like CBDU followed by six digits.
- Check it on the Environment Agency's free public register. If the name does not match, stop.
- Ask for a waste transfer note for your job, and keep it.
Any legitimate firm will hand all three over without being asked twice. We do.
What we can do while the council service is down
We are a private licensed carrier, so the strike does not affect us. We are booking as normal, usually same day or next day. We collect from wherever the item is sitting rather than only from the kerbside, which matters if you cannot get a sofa down the stairs on your own. And we hand you the transfer note.
We are not going to tell you we are cheaper than £49.50, because when the council service is running, we are not. We are telling you it is not running.
The five household recycling centres
If you have a car load rather than a van load, the HRCs are still open and still free for Birmingham residents with proof of address. They have been running extended hours to cope with the backlog. Check the council website for current opening times before you drive over, because they have changed several times during the dispute.
Bulky waste questions
Is Birmingham City Council still collecting bulky waste?
Existing bookings are being honoured, but the council has paused taking new bulky waste collection requests because of the strike action by Unite. That is stated on the council's own bulky waste page. If you have not already booked, you currently cannot.
How much does the council charge when it is running?
£49.50 for a collection of up to ten items. Two bin bags count as one item. Electrical items are collected separately and may come on a different date.
Can I just take it to the tip myself?
You can take a car load to a household recycling centre, and you will need proof of a Birmingham address. What you cannot currently do is turn up in a van. During the industrial action the mobile household waste centres are not accepting waste from vans, from residents or businesses. So borrowing a Transit for the afternoon does not solve it.
Is a private company like you more expensive than the council?
For a straight ten item collection, when the council service is running, the council is usually cheaper. We are not going to pretend otherwise. What we offer is that we are available now, we come to the property rather than only to the kerbside, we carry it out from inside, and we do it in days rather than weeks.
How do I know a private firm is legitimate?
Ask for their waste carrier registration number and check it free on the Environment Agency public register. Then ask for a waste transfer note for your job. Any legitimate carrier will give you both without hesitating. If somebody will not, walk away, because if your waste turns up fly tipped the fine follows you.
What happens if I use a man with a van who fly tips it?
You are liable. Householders have a legal duty of care for their own waste under the Environmental Protection Act. If the council traces fly tipped waste back to your address, and old post inside a bag usually does exactly that, you get the fixed penalty. Not the person who dumped it.
Have a look at these too
Council said no. We say when?
Same day where we can, next day most of the time.