Sutton Coldfield schools face a health hazard due to uncollected rubbish, attracting rats and creating a foul stench.
Trash is piling up at schools, attracting rats and creating a bad smell. The missed collections started this year, coinciding with refuse worker strikes.
Schools pay Birmingham City Council for bin collections. Many schools report repeated missed pickups and are spending more money on skips, as well as pest control.
Kelly Lickley is a headteacher whose last bin collection was January 23rd. She has had no bin or recycling pickup for weeks and saw a rat near the bins.
Her school bins are overflowing and rubbish is now on the ground, where very young children walk past the mess every day. She believes it’s unacceptable.
The school had only two pickups out of six. Cold slowed waste break down, but warmer weather could worsen the problem. Lickley thinks schools need priority.
The council tackles school attendance, yet isn’t ensuring children’s safety. Her staff waste time calling the council, but bin staff often do not arrive. They are hiring extra pest control.
Another headteacher, Helen Lowe, had the same issue. Penns Primary had piles of trash, and the school hired its own skip after a collection on February 14th.
Refuse staff refused to drive down the path, which wasn’t an issue before. Her school pays for weekly collections. Lowe says this started around Christmas time.
Workers claimed they could not drive up the path. Her site manager argued for an hour, but they looked at the rubbish and left. The waste was mainly food scraps, leading to a bad smell near reception children.
Her school now pays for its own skip. She respects workers’ right to strike, but paying for bad service is upsetting. She wants things back to normal.
Councillor Alex Yip says another school, Bishop Walsh, also faced missed collections. He called the situation appalling, stating schools must stay clean for safety.
They pay twice with skips and bin fees. He blames agency staff shortages, and notes that strikes impact other services. Residents need to focus on their lives.
The council addressed the situation, acknowledging that strikes cause missed bin collections. They thanked schools for their patience, and stated that crews collect school waste as fast as possible.