Student who cleans up on woodland and river walks

A FORMER student at The Henley College has started picking up litter on his walks to inspire people to look after the environment.

Josh Harrow, 20, who lives with his grandmother, Sandie, in Bell Street, said he had noticed litter accumulating when he went walking to de-stress from study.

He said along the river and through Remenham woods he had found disposable vapes, food wrappers and takeaway cups, despite there being bins nearby.

An aspiring animal ecologist, Mr Harrow said he wanted to be a part of the “solution” rather than the problem and started taking plastic bags on walks to collect rubbish.

He said: “I thought that rather than complaining and trying to find someone else to do it I would just bring a bag out with me and pick up what I could.

“I got tired of seeing how beautiful Henley was turning into a littered area, which was quite sad.

“I started taking little bags and would just pick up a few little bits. In recent days I took a big bin bag, and I have pretty much filled it up to the top, and that is maybe two or three bags’ worth of rubbish in one bag.

“Some of the most common things I find are takeaway cups, food wrappers and surprisingly quite a lot of disposable vapes. I also found a yoga mat, three barbecues, the aluminium foil ones, and a lot of balloons. It’s throwaway culture, I guess.

“I found a whole chair in the woods and there was a high heel that was next to it, so an interesting night that must have been, is all I can really say.”

Mr Harrow has lived in Henley for the past three years while completing his A-levels in photography, media and criminology at The Henley College and thought residents would take more care in preserving its environment.

He said: “It makes me think that people don’t really seem to care that their actions do have an impact.

“Especially somewhere like Henley, which is very well educated, and people understand the concept of global warming and climate change and how bad littering can be for the planet.

“It feels a little disheartening to walk around and see glass bottles and plastic bottles all along the river and sweet wrappers and meal deals. And there are bins, it’s not like there aren’t bins people could just take them to.

“I noticed there was a rise in plastic around regatta and not to say it’s locals or the visitors, but people aren’t as wary of their behaviour during regatta so it definitely does make an impact.”

Mr Harrow will be moving to Australia to study animal ecology at the University of the Sunshine Coast in a few months and said litter has a direct impact on wildlife, which often cannot distinguish between litter and food.

He said: “A lot of animals will consume quite a lot of microplastics throughout their lives and the amount that they will consume in their lifetime often will end up killing them earlier in life. Even the smallest amount of plastic that you think they aren’t going to consume, it’s very likely that they can and will.

“They don’t really know the difference, if it’s even just a small piece of plastic cap that has been broken up into small little bits, if it’s a little bit of a colour that might look like food, they will just eat it.

“It can really damage and impact the local life, like the geese and the ducks by the river, they have probably all consumed a large amount of plastic.” Mr Harrow said before he leaves, he wants to “crack down” on areas which need more attention, and raise more awareness of the issue in the community.

He said: “I live with my nan and she has lived in Henley for
15 years. It’s somewhere that is very special to her and she absolutely loves it. It makes her upset seeing the amount of plastic and it makes me upset seeing the amount of plastic. It’s a way of me paying her back for looking after me these past few years.

“I would like to crack down and do some more litter picking in areas that might need a little bit more attention if I can.

“I want to make a point that no matter how little you think the plastic is, it ends up in a place where it gathers. It just takes one walk with a plastic bag to make a little bit of a difference.”