A Birmingham mosque has been praised for leading a major clean-up effort that collected 120 tons of waste, helping to prevent widespread fly-tipping during the city’s ongoing bin strike.
The UKIM Sparkbrook Islamic Centre and Masjid partnered with Birmingham City Council’s mobile waste crews, supporting more than 1,400 cars and around 2,000 local residents in safely disposing of their rubbish, Birmingham Live reported.
The initiative was widely credited with averting scenes of chaos that had unfolded weeks earlier, when mounting frustration led some residents to dump rubbish on roadsides.
“This is a shining example of the ongoing partnerships we are developing with community groups across the city to work together in keeping our city clean,” said Councillor Majid Mahmood, head of waste management for Birmingham.
“Thank you to the chair, Mohammed Ishtiaq, and the brilliant volunteers for their support throughout. I’m pleased that after the successful event more community groups approached us offering their facilities.”
The effort followed a particularly disruptive incident on Thursday, April 3, when a JCB had to be called in to clear massive amounts of illegally dumped waste from outside Tyseley Community Centre—trash that had blocked access to a children’s play area. Determined not to see a repeat, the mosque hosted a late-night strategy meeting the same day.
By early Saturday morning, April 5, more than 40 volunteers were on-site, assigned across two car parks. Their task: to efficiently remove bin bags and waste from vehicles, including those with wheelie bins, to keep the area flowing and the clean-up on track.