Officials in England's city of Birmingham expressed concerns for public health after tons of waste have filled the streets during a garbage strike. (Video: AP, Reuters)
Rats are getting bigger and more brazen in a British city where a sanitation strike has left tons of garbage piled up on city streets, locals say, and residents are raising fears for public health.
The Birmingham City Council is locked in a dispute with a union representing sanitation workers over issues including pay and working conditions, and workers have blocked garbage trucks from leaving the depot to carry out collections since the strike began March 11.
The council, which typically carried out 500,000 garbage collections per week, is now running “far below” the 360,000 that should be possible under contingency measures. That’s led to nearly 19,000 tons of garbage piled up in the city, and the rate of accumulation is growing by nearly 1,000 tons a day, the council estimated in a statement Monday.
It declared a “major incident,” allowing the city to send out 35 vehicles and crews as well as bring in support from government and neighboring authorities.
The move can’t come soon enough for some residents and workers who worry about health risks as the weather turns warmer.
Norman Yousaf, director of waste disposal company Monster Clearance, described the city as a “rat’s heaven,” adding that it’s “not uncommon” for his team to come across vermin while doing collections by hand. His workers now ensure they are wearing protective equipment including steel-capped boots and work in teams of two in case someone gets bitten.
Natalie Ford, 40, the office and marketing manager at pest control firm Hullternative, said rats have become bigger and bolder because of the plentiful food supply, which can also make infestations more difficult to treat. “We’ve found that the rodents are becoming more brazen when they’re coming out,” she said, adding that poisons are less effective because of the alternative food sources available.
Ford said the company has seen a 75 percent increase in calls since the strike began more than three weeks ago. Typical clients include property management companies, restaurants, residential households and schools. Although the company uses nonpoisonous bait where possible, “we are having to use stronger bait … just to try and deal with the problem,” she said. “Usually we can get a normal infestation under control in three to four weeks but something like this is going to take time.”
The dispute centers on the roles of 150 waste recycling and collection officers that Birmingham City Council plans to eliminate. The council said those affected have been offered alternative employment at the same pay, training or severance packages. However, the union, Unite, has accused the council of trying to force through cost-saving measures that could extend to other workers. “This is really about stamping out any future opposition to its plans to unleash austerity 2.0 on Birmingham,” Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said in a statement.
Negotiations between the council and the union remain underway, with both groups saying they are willing to continue working toward an end to the strike.
Locals have expressed frustration at the council for not carrying out the collections, which are funded through local taxes. Birmingham City Council’s Facebook page has been deluged with complaints, while others have spoken to local media about rats chewing through the wiring in their cars. Both Labour and Conservative lawmakers have raised concerns about rats in Parliament — and one lawmaker said a constituent had written to her about “a resident being bitten” by a rat. Another described “rats the size of cats” in the city.
City Council leader John Cotton said in a statement on Monday that it is “regrettable” to have to declare a major incident, but “we cannot tolerate a situation that is causing harm and distress to communities across Birmingham.”
Basmin Khan, 46, said trash in her street had not been collected for six weeks, forcing children to walk around it on the way to school.
Khan said people from other areas are coming in to dump garbage on top of existing piles, and trash is accumulating differently in various Birmingham neighborhoods.
“If you go into the center of Birmingham, you would not notice there’s a problem. It looks very good, very clean and that’s also around the suburban areas,” she said. “If you come into the more inner-city areas, it’s not a pleasant sight. … And it actually gives the people who try to keep the area clean a really bad reputation — that we don’t care for the area and that the community has caused the problem, and really that is not the case at all.”