Bin win for cleaner streets campaigners

A CAMPAIGN to reduce commercial waste left in Market Place by a bakery business has been successful.

The Henley Society, which aims to protect heritage and environment in Henley, and clean streets campaigner Eva Rickett, who has been dubbed the “Bin Queen”, were unhappy with rubbish left outside Gail’s Bakery in Market Place. Piles of blue rubbish bin bags and cardboard boxes were being consistently left on the pavement in the late afternoon for collection the following morning, attracting vermin and foxes and causing an eyesore and an obstruction.

Geoff Luckett, chairman of the society, met face-to-face with the bakery’s head office operations team on July 30 to discuss changing its daily methods of commercial waste disposal.

From last Wednesday, Gail’s has arranged for the waste to be collected during shop opening hours.

Staff can now march the waste from the store straight into the waste collection vehicle, so the bins do not touch the pavement or pile up. A second request from the society was to remove wheelie bins permanently from Market Place.

These have also now been removed and will only appear on collection days. When emptied, they will be put out of sight at the rear of the premises.

Mr Luckett wrote two letters to the chief executive officer of Gail’s, which were allegedly not received until he emailed directly, and a meeting was set up with the chief of operations.

He said: “She was absolutely brilliant and agreed with everything we were raising and said she would go away and talk to their team and their waste disposal contractor to see if they could come to a new arrangement, which they did.

“They said it was totally unacceptable to have rubbish in the street, and it’s not good for the town because it’s in full view of the al fresco dining area in the Market Place.

“This is a win-win for Henley and its residents and, of course, for the al fresco evening diners who do not have to look at the unsightly rubbish.

“From the first connection, the Gail’s staff have been so understanding of our concerns and a joy to work with. We are extremely grateful to them.”

Mrs Rickett, who runs Henley Scan, a scanning and digital company based in King’s Road with her husband, Graham, said she was happy with the positive result.

She said: “A big thank-you from me to the Henley Society and Geoff Luckett for his patience and perseverance. It has saddened me walking down and seeing the pile of rubbish every night, especially during summer evenings, when the restaurants are full of people supporting Henley, eating and drinking on the square.

“I had on several occasions friends from abroad commenting negatively on it.

“I want to thank everyone who has contacted me privately, stopped me in the pub or in town, to support me when I’ve complained about rubbish on social media or in the paper over the past two years.

“A few people are affectionately calling me the ‘Bin Queen’, and I’ve embraced it.

“I firmly believe without the Henley Society taking charge, it would not have been sorted but Gail’s has sorted it in the short term and has a plan for a long-term solution, and it shows there are solutions to problems.” Both campaigners will continue pursuing cleaner streets for Henley town centre. Mrs Rickett added: “I wish I could say, job done, but I think there are more commercial waste hotspots on pavements, unfortunately.

“Today, though, I’m enjoying walking past this specific spot, without having rubbish in my eyesight. This is Henley community at its best,  working together.”

Nick Ayerst, managing director at Gail’s, said: “We are pleased to have worked closely with the Henley Society to agree new waste management arrangements for our Henley bakery.

“These changes reflect our commitment to maintaining a welcoming and pleasant place for local residents, businesses, and visitors.”