Pensioner’s battle over her blue bin

A pensioner who struggles to lug her bins from her garage to the pavement said she has been left dumbfounded by a string of missed collections.

Josephine Howard, known as Jo, says paper and cardboard was piling up at her home, in Middleton, after her blue bin was ‘ignored’ by council workers on several consecutive occasions.

But the 84-year-old has been mystified as to why all of her other collections, green waste, plastic and general, have been carried out as normal.

Jo believes old people are getting overlooked in society, and fears her abandoned blue bin is a prime example of this.

The Alkrington resident finds it difficult to walk after a leg break a few years ago. So when collection day rolls around on Tuesdays, she fears falling on the journey with her bin from the garage, down the steep driveway, to the street.

On a few occasions this year, for reasons unknown to the 84-year-old, her bin containing paper and card has been missed by waste collectors, despite others in the street being picked up.

“This has been going on for quite a few months,” the Worcester Road resident said. “The blue bin pick up is once per month and on several occasions it has just been left.

People around me had their blue bins emptied but mine was left full of cards and paper.

How can they do the others around me but not mine? I want to do the right thing and put rubbish in the right recycling bin.

I am frightened of falling. I use my leg to get down to the pavement as I feel I could possibly have an accident.

She went on to explain that she reported the missed collection and was told how it would be collected within five days. But she didn’t know what day, so was unsure when to put her bin back out again.

Rochdale council has since confirmed their refuse collection team had missed one collection, but on other occasions Jo had not put her bin out at the right time, leaving Jo baffled as to why her other bin collections had all been carried out as normal.

They have now added Jo to the list of people who have their bins collected from the house, a service provided for those with mobility issues.

This has been a blessing for Jo, who recently broke her wrist in a fall at home. Previously she had refused the house collection service offered by the council in a bid to remain independent, but has now accepted she needs the help.

With colder weather just around the corner, the risk of icy weather making her bin trip increasingly hazardous, she believes this change has come just in time.

I took it myself because I didn’t want to be a nuisance and ask them to collect it from my garage,”

This made me feel like I’m disregarded. People like me, those on a pension really have to struggle.

I think if I make a fuss about this it will encourage those who do the bins to do more and sympathise.

I am fighting for the pensioners. I am using my situation as an example. In these difficult times, we are really having to struggle.

What I wanted more than anything else, was to bring attention to the fact that elderly people who are disabled, are struggling. They’re struggling to get out and about.

I am fortunate that I am able to get around on what I call my chariot, but it’s an electric scooter. I go out to the shop on that.

Unfortunately some who can’t get out are totally dependent on whoever knocks on the door. I think it needs to be looked into more cautiously and more kindly.

I just think that elderly people who aren’t doing very much aren’t seen as terribly important. I’m not doing this to get attention, but it’s a service and I’ve paid to have that service.

Jo, originally from London before moving up north to Middleton, has lived an adventurous life. She was a well-known English teacher at Durnford Street School in Middleton before it closed.

Riding her motorcycle to school was a particularly big hit for students, she recalled.

After contributing heavily to the local community, Jo believes she and other elderly people in a similar position deserve recognition for their efforts in life and should be looked after with dignity and respect.

A spokesperson for Rochdale council said:

We contacted Mrs Howard because our system showed her street bin collections were completed weekly, but her paper bin had not been presented for collection for some time. Crews were promptly directed to return, and her paper bin has been emptied.

After assessing her needs, we discussed placing her on an assisted bin collection service to support her, which she agreed, and her property has been added to the crews’ watch list to ensure future collections are carried out as scheduled.

Mrs Howard was really pleased and thanked the environmental management service for dealing with the matter promptly.