From toilets and sofas to mountains of rubbish and fridge freezers – this is the filthy reality of the city’s ongoing fly-tipping problem. An online map shows the extent of the issue impacting residents in all areas of Birmingham, whether it be Sutton Coldfield, Northfield or Small Heath.
Thousands of reports have been made to the city council via FixMyStreet in a bid to clear up the streets. As of January 3, 24,328 fly-tipping offences had been reported on the website – which also takes reports of potholes, dog fouling and abandoned vehicles.
Several people have taken to the site in the New Year to plead for help from the authority and express their concerns. A string of dramatic photos alongside the map capture dumped waste, including over spilling black bin bags, strewn across the pavements and footpaths.
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In a single day, January 3, 17 residents had reported flytipping in their areas, ranging from a disused washing machine in Harborne to a Small Heath road “completely blocked” by dumped rubbish. Sharing images of the jammed footpath in Camelot Way, the local fumed: “Footpath on Camelot Way opposite Herbert road is completely blocked with fly tipping & discarded car parts.
“Impossible to walk down safely especially for school kids in the dark. The amount of cars also blocking up both sides and of the footways is also a huge problem. This problem was originally reported well over 6 months ago but nothing done.”
Another image from January 3 showed a clothes horse and metal chair legs on a pile of open black bags on the corner of Arthur Road and Grove Lane. In a third post on Wednesday, January 1, a member of the public posted a toilet bowl left discarded on a green area of Frankley, which had been “reported before” on the site.
The dumped toilet in Frankley is one of thousands of reported flytipping offences in Birmingham
The report from Wednesday, January 1 read: “Toilet bowl by 5G mast. Bottom of Egghill Lane. Been reported before.” Others this week reported dumped mattresses, sofas, “building-up” flytipping, “asbestos guttering”, cardboard and even old toys ditched over the Christmas period.
One report from a Harborne resident pleaded for the council to “identify the perpetrator” as they described the location of a mattress. It read: “Someone has flytipped a mattress (possibly a double) in Cadnam Close, Harborne, as of this morning Friday 3rd January 2025, at around 6.30 am, and it’s current propping up the lamp-post just as Cadnam Close bends round to the left …
“Please can this be removed as soon as possible, and attempts hopefully made to identify the perpetrator/s. Many thanks, best wishes.”
Toilet dumped in Egghill Lane in Frankley
Another shared a report showing six images of dumped rubbish, including a tyre on Thursday, January 2. They wrote: “4 piles of fly tipping and an abandoned caravan. This is a real hotspot for fly tipping and it’s been a recurring issue for years. It’s in the lay by opposite the Meridian Centre and Sweet Chillies restaurant.”
Cllr Majid Mahmood, cabinet member for environment and transport, urged people to report flytipping using their ‘Brum Account’ so they can investigate and take action. In response to the FixMyStreet reports, he said: “Those who dump waste on public or private land are environmental criminals, who are expecting people in our city to foot the bill for the disposal of their rubbish and unwanted items.
The dumped toilet was left on the grass area in Frankley
“There is no excuse for this anti-social behaviour, which shows no regard for the surroundings in which we all have to live and work. There are many legitimate ways to get rid of waste, including our household recycling centres which have plenty of capacity, and our mobile waste centres, so there is simply no excuse.
“We investigate incidents and do not hesitate to take enforcement action or prosecute offenders, as demonstrated in the past by many high-profile cases. If citizens wish to report flytipping or other street related issues, we encourage them to use their Brum Account as this is linked to our internal systems so we can investigate issues and action accordingly.”
Have you been affected by flytipping? We would like to hear from you. You can contact us by emailing stephanie.balloo@reachplc.com