Since early January 2025, Birmingham, the UK's second-largest city, has been embroiled in a dispute between the city council and the Unite union over pay, working conditions, and job roles for refuse collectors. Recent negotiations have broken down amid intense disagreements. The crisis has resulted in up to 17,000 tons of uncollected waste piling up on streets, posing public health and safety risks including pest infestations, disease spread, and fire hazards. The city's reputation has suffered, with reduced event hosting and tourism opportunities. Reports of cat-sized rats in Birmingham have made international headlines.

The union and council are currently negotiating workers' wages. Garbage collection is a hazardous job, and with an aging population, recruiting new workers is increasingly difficult. In this context, technology can help transition workers to higher-paid, safer roles, creating an opportunity for a more sustainable waste management system. Advances in robotics and AI have made automated garbage collection viable, with some cities in the US, Canada, and Europe already deploying robotic equipment in waste systems.

Shortages of skilled technicians threaten the green economy transition, and increasing recycling rates requires workers to distinguish waste types—a task machines still struggle with. However, Birmingham City Council's proposed improvements to waste collection have not fully leveraged advanced technologies. The plan includes adding more trucks, reducing collection days, retraining staff, and improving resident communication via text messages about recycling days—but these are basic measures. Previously, recycling centers lacked online booking systems, leading to long queues, traffic congestion, and higher emissions.

To capitalize on new technology opportunities, a whole-system approach is needed. Automated side-loader trucks and smart bins are already in use in multiple cities. Smart bins use sensors to monitor fill levels and predict collection times; councils can analyze which technologies work best in different urban areas. Side-loader trucks can lift large bins and empty them automatically—challenging on narrow streets but boosting productivity, cutting costs, and improving worker safety where feasible.

Vehicle-mounted sensors (including cameras) provide data on waste distribution across areas, enabling garbage mapping. AI algorithms analyze this data for tailored collection plans, optimizing truck usage and continuously learning to improve services. In busy districts, smart bin data prevents overflow; advanced machine learning detects anomalies for further schedule optimization and efficiency gains. Progress in imaging and chemical analysis aids waste identification, enabling automatic sorting and hazardous waste detection.

Other solutions include smart underground large storage containers as communal bins to reduce collection frequency (requiring infrastructure/truck upgrades; implemented in parts of Spain), or pneumatic waste systems—tested successfully in Wembley, northwest London—using fans to suck waste via underground pipes to central storage (adopted in over 30 countries).

Public education on waste reduction is also crucial—saving money and easing system pressure. For Birmingham, ignoring advanced technologies makes it hard to meet resident and collector needs. Introducing more robotic trucks and smart bins might prove more popular than dealing with street rats.