A London based rubbish clearance company is launching a service in Birmingham - hoping to sign up eager businesses in the wake of last year's bin strike.

Private operator Junk Hunters has seen an opening for expansion after council run services in the city were brought to a standstill - leaving both households and businesses, who pay for waste collection, impacted.

With Birmingham's bin service still under pressure and struggling It argues that more businesses are willing to consider employing private firms to collect and recycle their rubbish as a result.

The firm also offers clearances from building sites, office clearances and industrial sites as well as routine colllections.

Junk Hunters chief executive Harsha Rathnayake said: “Following a successful nine years in London, we’re delighted to launch in England’s second city of Bi rmingham.

Harsha Rathnayake Junk Hunters chief executive with Bill Hendrie

“Junk is big business that continues to grow. Businesses and domestic customers always have waste they need to clear, and they want a reliable company who will clear their rubbish and dispose of it responsibly.

“Unwanted junk leads to fly tipping which damages the environment. There is a real need for a responsible operator in Birmingham who is committed to disposing of unwanted items properly.

“We aim to recycle and reuse as much of the junk we collect as possible. Some gets sorted and sent to the recycling plant, items from house clearances, office clearances that can be reused get taken to charity shops or facilities where the items can be resold.”

The firm claims to recycle and reuse 75 per cent of items collected.

Bin bags piled high during the bin men's strike in August, 2017
Bin bags piled high during the bin men's strike in August, 2017

Junk Hunters was launched in London in 2009 and is now looking to go national with plan for nine further branches, of which Birmingham and Solihull is the first, being developed.

They claim that their branded and clean vehicles, a guaranteed delivery slot and uniformed, polite staff have also been key to the success.

According to the website collection of a single skip worth of waste costs £216 including VAT. Other charges include £50 to collect a standard fridge, £15 for a mattress and £4 for a used tyre.