At a glance
- Find your collection day by entering your address on the council site (a free BRUM account is needed for some waste services).
- Report a missed bin after 1:30pm on the day it was due.
- The tip (Household Recycling Centre) needs a booking. You can't just turn up.
- Collections have been disrupted by an ongoing waste dispute, and a new service is being phased in during 2026. Check the live status before relying on a date.
Finding your collection day
The council's "check your collection day" tool takes your address and shows your scheduled days. Under the established service, general rubbish (the grey bin) was collected weekly, recycling (the green-lidded bin) fortnightly, and garden waste only if you pay for the separate subscription. That pattern is changing (see the new service below), so treat the online tool as the single source of truth for your street rather than a fixed weekly habit.
The new waste service
Birmingham is rolling out a new collection system through 2026, phased in from the summer. The headline changes are a separate food-waste caddy and a second recycling container, which also shifts some collection frequencies. Roll-out is street by street, so your neighbourhood may change before or after the next one over. When the new bins arrive for your area, the council writes to you with the revised days; until then, your existing schedule on the checker still applies.
Where the waste dispute stands
The disruption many residents have lived with traces back to industrial action by Unite that began in January 2025 and escalated to an all-out strike on 11 March 2025. It proved unusually long-running. In a statement marking one year of the all-out strike, on 11 March 2026, the council confirmed the dispute had still not been settled. Because this is a live situation that can change week to week, don't take any single date as settled. The council keeps an updated residents' FAQ, and that is the place to check before you next put bins out.
Latest disruption status →Reporting a missed collection
If your bin wasn't emptied, the council asks you to wait until after 1:30pm on the collection day before reporting it, in case the crew is simply running late. After that, you report it online or through your BRUM account. Where a re-collection is possible, the council aims to come back within two working days. During periods of disruption that target slips, which is frustrating but worth knowing in advance.
Bulky waste (sofas, fridges, mattresses)
The council's bulky-waste collection normally costs £49.50 for a load and is booked online or on 0121 303 1112. One important caveat for 2026: the service has been suspended at points during the dispute, with pre-booked collections honoured but new bookings paused. Check it is actually running before you plan around it, and don't leave large items out on the assumption a collection is coming.
Find your nearest tip
Birmingham has five Household Recycling Centres, and nearly all of them work on a booking system: you cannot just turn up. Type your postcode to find the closest one, then book a slot. The sites are for Birmingham residents, so bring proof of address if asked.
Booking is required at all sites except Castle Bromwich (cars), where the booking system is currently suspended. Kings Norton is open but on reduced service during redevelopment. Marker positions are approximate (postcode level); confirm details when you book. Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors.