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Birmingham residents are being urged not to burn their household recycling as the city’s bin strike continues, following an incident where a resident required oxygen after attempting to burn recycling inside their home.
Rubbish has been piling up on Birmingham’s streets since bin workers began an all-out strike on March 11th, in a dispute concerning pay and jobs.
West Midlands Fire Service reported that the recycling fire, which was contained to a single room and extinguished before crews arrived, prompted them to issue a safety plea.
Firefighters used ventilation equipment to clear the property of smoke and fumes. Although the resident was not injured, they were administered oxygen by paramedics and fire crews.
Emily Fernandez, Head of Prevention at West Midlands Fire Service, warned of the dangers of burning household recycling. "Burning household recycling like cardboard, paper or plastics can be very dangerous, especially indoors.
“Please don’t burn your household waste or recycling.
“You could quickly be overcome by the smoke, or burned.
“Such fires can quickly get out of control and spread.
“If your recycling hasn’t been collected, we urge you to store it safely until your next collection or, if you can, take it to a household recycling centre.
“Never try to burn it, you’re risking lives and property.”
Fresh talks between Birmingham City Council and Unite the union aimed at resolving the long-running strike are to be held on May Day and conciliation service Acas will be involved in the meeting for the first time.
On Friday, it was announced that the city council’s bin boss, the executive director of city operations Craig Cooper, will be leaving his role in June and a search for his replacement will begin “immediately”.
Richard Brooks, who the council says has worked closely with Mr Cooper during the bin strike in the city operations department, will take over the role on an interim basis.
Council leader John Cotton said: “Craig has been an exceptional leader and a dedicated public servant.
“His contributions to the council and the city have been invaluable.
“We are grateful for his service and wish him all the best in his future endeavours.”
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