Rats and other rodents hold a ‘big’ public health risk in the midst of the ongoing bin strikes in Birmingham, an expert on pest control warned.
It is said that the rodents thrive on the ‘banquet’ of decaying foods left out for them.
On Tuesday, nearly 400 Council Bin workers in the Midlands City began indefinite strike as part of a row about work and payment.
Unite, the union, said the city council could end the dispute “by agreeing to pay a decent wage rate”.
The Birmingham City Council said it made a ‘fair and reasonable offer’ to the workers, claiming that the ‘escalation’ of industrial action would mean greater disruption to residents.
Grahame Turner, technical manager of the National Pest Technics Association (NPTA), said: “This is a great danger to public health, and what we see in Birmingham is incredibly alarming.
“Pests such as rats, mice and even squirrels are on the lookout for easy meals at this time of year, and easily accessible waste is an open invitation.
“Rotten food is an absolute banquet to them, and Birmingham is already extremely vulnerable due to previous strikes and infection levels of rodents observed in urban areas.”
He continued that as soon as rodents found overflowing trays, they could also explore other parts of the location, such as homes in the area, seeking warmth and shelter.
“Rodents are not just a nuisance – it can pose serious health risks. It is known that rats and mice carry diseases such as leptospirosis, Hantavirus and Salmonella, which can spread through their drops, urine and even through polluted food supplies,” he added.
In addition, it can cause “serious structural damage” by chewing electrical wiring, chewing isolation and even doing plumbing damage.
Photo: Dad
In the light of the strikes, Mr. Turner said if residents could take any actions to reduce encouraging rodents, they should do so.
It can take the form of storing unpolished garbage in sealed boxes or trays, or transport the waste itself to a local recycling center or point.
Disruptions can end up in summer
Unite warned that the disruption of the waste collection in the summer could continue after workers voted in favor of expanding their strike due to the use of temporary labor of the council to “undermine” the industrial action.
The union warned that its members were facing the cutting of the wage reduction after the waste of waste and recycling officer, although they had already accepted voluntary cuts The Council declared bankruptcy.
Earlier this week, the council said 90 crew members of the waste collection out of a total of 200 were still collecting garbage.
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This asked residents to continue to put off as usual and said that staff affected during the removal of the two roles were given the opportunity to go to alternative roles, take voluntary discharge or train as drivers.
