Nan Miller, despite suffering from a heart condition, decided to wheel her garden waste bin two miles to the tip herself.
Ms Miller from Canterbury, Kent had been waiting for three weeks for her bin to be emptied, but the ongoing strikes by GMB refuse workers had caused delays in waste collection.
Frustrated by the lack of progress, the retired French interpreter warned Canterbury City Council that she would take matters into her own hands if her bin remained unemptied by Friday afternoon.
The strikes, initiated by members of the GMB union working for Canenco, the waste contractor employed by the city council, began at the start of the month. Despite non-GMB members working to collect household waste, recycling and garden waste collections were more limited.
Ms Miller, who pays an additional fee for garden waste collection, expressed her frustration, saying: “If they think they can get away with it, well, I’m jolly well going to show them that they can’t. I’m fed up to the back teeth – which are my own. My bin needs emptying, so I’m going to push it to the tip myself.”
Determined to follow through on her promise, Ms Miller embarked on her journey to the tip, even though she had suffered two cardiac arrests and had a hospital appointment for a blood clot. She pushed her bin along narrow pavements, occasionally attempting to hitch a ride from passing vehicles.
As she walked, Ms Miller realised she wouldn’t reach the recycling centre before it closed. However, a compassionate driver in a Range Rover, Nadine Fleming, stopped to offer her a ride for the remaining distance. Ms Miller gratefully accepted, and they placed the bin in the back of the vehicle.
Upon arriving at the tip, which had already closed, Taylor Nickolson, an employee at a nearby shop, offered to empty Ms Miller’s garden waste into his own bin and give her a lift home.
Canterbury City Council later stated they had tried to contact Ms Miller on the afternoon of her trek to inform her that her bins would be emptied the following day. They expressed their understanding of her frustration and apologised for any inconvenience caused.
The council has now reached a pay agreement with Unison members of the Canenco workforce, offering increased wages for drivers and loaders. They urged GMB members to accept the deal and end the strike.
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