Birmingham Local Conservatives have been calling on the Labour Administration of Birmingham City Council to introduce food waste collection for several years now, including a policy to allow food waste to be combined with green waste & collected together. The last Conservative government mandated that all councils must introduce weekly food waste collection by 2026, which has forced the Labour Administration to finally take action. Current plans will see weekly food waste collections introduced by March 2025.
We are proposing an alternative initiative to enhance waste management in the city by introducing joint food & green waste collections. The plan would allow residents to dispose of food waste alongside their green waste, simplifying the process for households and potentially reducing the amount of waste sent to landfills. Under the scheme proposed in Birmingham Local Conservatives' 2022 Manifesto, food waste would be placed in the same bins as garden waste. This integration aims to make food waste recycling more accessible and encourage higher participation among residents.
Birmingham Local Conservatives believe this initiative could lead to significant environmental benefits by reducing the carbon footprint associated with waste disposal and promoting more sustainable behavioural norms within the community. If implemented, Birmingham would join other UK cities that have successfully introduced similar schemes, helping to divert food waste from landfills and convert it into useful resources like compost or energy.
Fill in our survey to show your support for the introduction of combined food and green waste collections in Birmingham.