Sandra McCluskey, who runs a waste collection firm called The Firm in the Milton Keynes area, has spoken out about being "a woman in a man's world" in the male-dominated waste management industry. She said she had been warned against getting involved but was determined to reduce the amount of rubbish sent to landfill or fly-tipped, instead redistributing usable items to people in need.

McCluskey, who has experienced homelessness and hardship herself, said this personal history drives her wish to help vulnerable people through donations such as mattresses, appliances, clothing and bottled water. Nationally, only 19% of the waste management workforce is female, according to the Chartered Institute of Wastes Management, and she says bricks were thrown through her window after she confronted a company she believed was operating without proper licences. Milton Keynes has seen fly-tipping fall by more than a quarter over five years, but the council says more needs to be done, and McCluskey argues licensed operators like her are unfairly tarred by unlicensed rivals who fuel fly-tipping.