Woman 'grateful' for offers of help with recycling

Lorraine Boyce said she was not expecting the offers of help

People have come to the aid of a woman in her 80s who had recycling piled up in her home because of the Birmingham bin strike.

Lorraine Boyce, said: "It's a huge relief. I literally feel as if a load has been lifted from my shoulders, because a load has gone from my hall."

Members of the Unite union began industrial action six months ago over the city council's decision to remove Waste Recycling and Collection Officer (WRCO) roles.

The authority is making largely regular pick-ups of general waste, but Ms Boyce has been unable to take her recycled waste to a recycling centre herself.

She was helped by Adam Simcox, who heard Ms Boyce's story and said: "I thought this lady was trying to do her very best to recycle, rather than piling it all in to be jumbled up with everything else."

He booked a slot at a nearby tip and arranged to pick up her recycling on Friday afternoon.

Lynne Brookes, who also offered to pick up her recycling, said: "Hat's off to her for sticking to her principles and not putting it into the normal rubbish like most people."

"My father's the same age, nobody should be living like that, it's dangerous. She could fall, she could trip, it could set fire," she added.

Ms Boyce, who lives in the city, said she was "very, very grateful" and said she had not expected help because "people have their own lives to get on with and their own problems with their own rubbish".

Birmingham City Council announced last month it was walking away from negotiations, while refuse workers who are members of Unite have voted to extend their walkout until next March.

Bosses insist the city's bin service needs transforming through vehicle and crew changes.

But the union says it is a case of "brutal" council cuts, claiming up to 170 refuse workers face losing around £8,000 a year.

The union has now vowed to extend the industrial action, possibly beyond next March, if a deal is not struck.