Birmingham strike: How much do bin workers get paid?

Bin workers can be paid differently, depending on their role in the process of bin collection.

The Office for National Statistics (ONS) publishes estimated earnings, external for the category “refuse and salvage occupations” whose role is to “supervise and undertake the collection and processing of refuse”.

According to the ONS, these workers earned an average £26,543 in 2024, which equates to a little over £13 per hour. The minimum wage for workers over 21 in 2024 was £11.44 per hour.

The National Careers Service, external says that the pay range for a bin worker is on average between £24,000 and £30,000 per year, or equivalent to between £11.50 and £14.50 an hour.

Birmingham City Council told us that the pay band for loaders — the most junior people working on a bin lorry — in Birmingham was £24,027 to £25,992 — that’s about £11.50 to £12.50 an hour.