Solihull Council failed to collect more than 1,300 green bins between March 2023 and March 2025 — raising concerns about the reliability of the service as a new £49 annual charge for garden waste collections is due to start in July 2025.
The figures, obtained through a Freedom of Information (FOI) request, show that 1,313 missed green waste collections were reported by residents over the two-year period.
Despite requests from The Solihull Journal, Solihull Council and Councillor Ken Hawkins, the Cabinet Member for Environment and Infrastructure, declined to comment on the figures or respond to criticism surrounding the upcoming charge.
New charges despite missed collections
The council has previously provided green waste collections every fortnight at no extra cost, but this ceased from Monday 7 July 2025. The new paid-for service will cost £49 per household per year, with a £5 early sign-up discount offered in the first year.
Households that do not subscribe to the charge will need to make alternative legal arrangements for disposing of their garden waste.
The council has not publicly addressed the number of missed collections, nor indicated whether changes to staffing, resourcing, or reliability are planned before the charge is introduced.
Opposition parties hit out at timing and transparency
The Liberal Democrats and Labour have both expressed strong opposition — not just to the charge itself, but to how the decision was made.
Liberal Democrat group leader Councillor Ade Adeyemo said the Council had misled residents and bypassed proper scrutiny:
“Residents feel they’ve been gaslighted by this Conservative-led administration. They were told there were no plans to change the service — then weeks later, the charge was introduced without proper consultation.”
At a Cabinet meeting on 14 November 2024, Cllr Ken Hawkins stated, “There is no changes to the green waste collection service”. Yet less than a month later, on 12 December, the Conservative-controlled Cabinet voted to implement the new charge.
The Council’s own 2024 Waste and Recycling Survey showed 60% of respondents opposed the idea of charging for green waste collections — a finding opposition parties say was ignored.
The Liberal Democrats launched a petition which gained over 1,000 signatures in just 12 hours, and now has more than 2,000 signatories.
Labour: Missed bins raise serious doubts
Councillor Hazel Dawkins, Labour’s sole representative on Solihull Council, raised concerns about whether the council can deliver a consistent paid-for service, given that bins are already being missed.
“There is demonstrable evidence of collections being missed before the charge has even started.
It’s now down to the administration to explain why this has occurred and how they plan to prevent future failures.”
She also warned that introducing the fee could lead to a rise in fly-tipping, as some households may simply refuse to pay.
“I do not believe in the introduction of these charges — especially with the added risk of increased illegal dumping.”
What happens next?
From July 2025, only those who pay the new £49 subscription will receive fortnightly green bin collections. Those who don’t will need to dispose of their waste via home composting or local recycling centres.
In the meantime, missed collections and rising opposition continue to cast doubt over the roll-out. The council has yet to announce any service upgrades or staff increases to reduce missed collections ahead of the change.