Lorraine Boyce, an elderly resident of Kings Norton, Birmingham, has been forced to store her recycling materials in her hallway and garden shed ever since the city’s bin workers began their industrial strike earlier this year. At more than 80 years old, she dreads the approaching festive season, knowing that the extra Christmas wrapping will only add to the growing pile.
With recycling collections suspended since March, Lorraine’s stockpile, including bottles, cardboard, paper, and plastic, has been steadily accumulating. She even suspects that some of the items date back to last Christmas, as she missed a collection while away at that time.
“I’m really fed up – it’s ridiculous,” Lorraine said as she delivered Christmas cards to her neighbors. “I don’t want to throw recycling in with general waste. Even though the council still collects regular garbage, not having recycling picked up is depressing.”
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Despite no unpleasant odors, Lorraine finds the situation disheartening, especially as she lives alone. “People with bigger families must be struggling even more,” she noted. “It feels like neither the union nor the bin workers are considering the impact on ordinary residents.”
While sympathizing somewhat with the striking workers, Lorraine urges both parties to resolve the dispute quickly. Since her story first aired, friends and family have helped her clear some of the backlog, including a kind volunteer named Adam who reached out after seeing her on TV.
With Christmas approaching, Lorraine hopes for more assistance as she braces for the renewed buildup of recycling waste.
Meanwhile, Birmingham City Council leader John Cotton claims openness to negotiation but is not directly involved in talks. Unite, the union representing the striking bin workers, is planning a third major demonstration in the city next month, prolonging uncertainty for local residents.