‘Save on single-use plastic and clean river’

REUSABLE cups should be issued as standard during events in Henley, it has been suggested.

Members of Henley Town Council’s river sub-committee want them to replace single-use plastic cups.

Laura Reineke, who leads Friends of the Thames, raised the issue at the sub-committee’s first meeting.

She would like to see this implemented at events, including the Henley Festival and the Thames Traditional Boat Festival, to help keep the river clean.

Ms Reineke said: “I work with a chap who’s working with a company where you pay a £1 deposit for a reusable cup, which you drop in a box on the way out and you get your money back, or you can donate that deposit to a charity.

“As a committee, we could talk to events about using this instead of single-use plastic, which often ends up in the river as trampled bits.

“We could use the money to help clear up the river. It does cost a bit more but you could make the money back in a year and it ends up saving money because you’re not re-buying single-use plastic.

“There are two types. You can have a polypropylene cup but that’s got chemicals in. However, there’s a better one and it’s much harder and it feels like you’re drinking out of glass. It’s a win-win really.”

Rachel Dulai, sustainability lead at British Rowing, is concerned about people disrespecting the system and putting them in rubbish bins.

Rachel Dulai, sustainability lead at British Rowing, said: “I don’t know how we’re going to overcome that as a cultural thing to make people do it properly.

“The point at which you have the most influence is the point of procurement, which is exactly this.

“If we work together to make that behavioural change, encourage the events and mandate the providers and the concessions, as we have power at the point of contracting, then we can start that behavioural change. If we can all help educate, then we can begin to see that change.”

The Henley Festival and Thames Traditional Boat Festival were not available to comment.