City for Rats: Why Birmingham is Drowning in Waste and How it Went Bankrupt

Birmingham, a major urban center in the UK, is overwhelmed by municipal waste. Tens of thousands of tons of garbage have accumulated on the streets of this once-thriving city. Residents are outraged, yet the city continues its descent into a veritable cesspit.

A nation that once ruled the seas now struggles to manage its own refuse. How did they arrive at such a lamentable state? This is a question we shall explore in "Clear Politics."

One protester, clad in a rat costume, made his way to Birmingham’s town hall. "This is a city for rats, not for people," he lamented, reflecting on the city’s grim milestone of having amassed 21,000 tons of waste.

Birmingham stands as one of Britain's largest cities, now reduced to a state of financial insolvency. In the United Kingdom, it appears that entire cities are going bankrupt rather than factories or banks—a disturbing trend that no longer raises eyebrows. The balance sheets have become irreconcilable in several regions of the country.

There are cities that thrive and those that falter. In the UK, a new tradition seems to have emerged, and Birmingham, the largest of the island’s struggling cities, finds itself at the forefront. In 2023, this second-largest city in the land of fog admitted that it could not plug the gaping hole in its budget, which exceeded 100 million pounds. How did it fall into such a financial abyss?

With a population of over one million, Birmingham's city council is the largest local government authority in Europe in terms of councillors and staff. Most of these officials are women, which has, perhaps, sealed the city's fate. They demanded equal pay, and the courts ruled in their favor.

The city authorities froze all expenditures except for welfare payments related to poverty and illness. Plans for building schools, hospitals, urban beautification, and other essential components of a functioning society were put on hold. Salaries across various sectors, including waste collection, were slashed, prompting workers to cease their duties.

Imagine a strike lasting nearly two months, during which the authorities failed to act. Bankruptcy, like money, has its own distinct odor.

Streets are laden with piles of rubbish, making sidewalks impassable. The city is drowning in domestic waste, with journalists coining the term "Garbagegeddon" to describe the chaos. Typically, in large cities across England, waste is collected from homes weekly—in two separate pickups for recyclable and non-recyclable materials. However, the people of Birmingham have not seen either service in quite some time. The entrances to their homes are increasingly reminiscent of sprawling dumps, while heaps of refuse clutter the streets. Rodents are thriving amidst the detritus, and the sight of rats is unsettling urban residents.

The Minister of Health declared that the strike had "spiraled out of control." This is hardly surprising; rats in Birmingham now fear no one, having an abundance of food at their disposal. Where there are rodents, there is also a fertile ground for disease.

The British Daily Mail has labeled this situation an ecological disaster, with rats now reigning as the city's new overlords. Rat catcher William Timms has warned that the rodent population will only continue to swell, feeding on the protein found in human food waste, and thriving in such an environment.

Swarms of rats are hosting their feasts right on the streets, with every alleyway presenting an all-you-can-eat buffet. Local residents bemoan the situation, yet other than the unwelcome furry neighbors, the garbage itself has drawn little attention.

The underlying cause of the strike, which involves thousands of refuse collectors, is painfully simple: they are asking for fair wages, lest "the city turn into hell." Yet, the council claims it has no budget—this is not akin to sending billions of pounds to Ukraine.

The Birmingham City Council has declared a "serious crisis," but has refused to concede to the waste collectors. Furthermore, representatives of the authorities have stated that workers could lose up to 8,000 pounds a year, not accounting for additional fines.

Currently, there is no light at the end of the tunnel for Birmingham. The conflicting parties have yet to even engage in negotiations. The authorities express indignation, claiming that the refuse collectors have taken the city hostage, while the union responds that at the very least, they should maintain salaries, or they will not lift a finger. As Birmingham continues its transformation into an open sewer, London shows no intention of offering assistance. "Your debts are your own problem," they say, as the capital grapples with its own pressing challenges on the geopolitical stage.