Neighbor helps disabled woman get rid of recycling pile since city stopped curbside pick-up service

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Action News Jax is getting results for locals struggling to recycle, now that the City of Jacksonville has stopped its curbside program.

One good Samaritan has stepped up to the plate and offered a helping hand to a disabled woman struggling with getting rid of piles of recycling.

STORY: JSO seeks assistance finding suspect on the run

Last week, we told you about a woman with disabilities who reached out to us because she couldn’t drop off her recycling which was quickly piling up inside and outside of her home.

“For people like me who are disabled, we cannot get these items to these sites,” Donna Handforth told Action News Jax last Tuesday.

She said quickly becoming overwhelmed with her recycling.

“I really do not want to have to put it into a landfill,” she added.

She told me she has limited mobility due to bone-on-bone arthritis.

“My left arm I can get about that high,” she said, reaching her shoulder to ear-level.

“So that one’s not too bad, but to lift a box it takes two and my right, that’s really the limit,” she said, barely able to lift her shoulder at all.

“So lifting up to those dumpsters, it’s just not gonna happen,” she explained.

STORY: Unidentified woman killed in Jacksonville crash

On Saturday, Handforth had a stack of boxes with paper products and cupboards inside. Outside, she had two full-sized recycling bins filled to the brim with cat food cans, as well as other plastics.

She also had bags of plastic bottles and other boxes with aluminum cans resting next to them.

When Michelle Anderson saw the original story, she related to Handforth through a mutual love of cats. “The cats is what drove me,” she said.

The environment, too.

“I just thought if somebody’s going through the trouble and there is the aluminum shortage, why not give a hand,” Anderson explained.

So she stepped up to help. We introduced them for the first time on Saturday morning.

“I can go ahead and take care of it because the place that I know that is open this weekend,” Anderson told Handforth.

She showed up with full commitment to rid Handforth of all this mess.

“If I need to make a second trip, I can do it next weekend,” Anderson said.

Next, the women got to work.

“There we go!” Anderson exclaimed as they started emptying the cat food cans from the bins.

They loaded everything they could, in any way they could, with Handforth using a shovel to scoop out the contents of the bins.

“I think this box has about had it,” Anderson pointed out as they filled the first one.

A bin and another box later, Handforth is now breathing a sigh of relief.

“Thank you so much,” Handforth told Anderson as they hugged. “You’re very welcome! I’m glad I could help you out,” Anderson replied.

STORY: Wounded Warrior Project reschedules the “Carry Forward” 5K run

The drive to the Greenland drop-off site 30 minutes away was the final trek of this journey

After at least five months of waiting, most of these items finally got to where they needed to be.

“Alright! We’re good!” Anderson exclaimed as she dropped off the last bit of recycling in her car.

Action News Jax reached out to the City of Jacksonville for a second time on Friday to ask if there are resources that disabled individuals can access if they need help dropping off their recycling. We’re still waiting to hear back.

©2022 Cox Media Group