Clean Team News

 

PEOPLE living in Sandhurst may have noticed two things —  how beautifully clean the streets are, and the lady with the trike working tirelessly to make sure it stays that way.

But Wendy Smith, 52, who has been keeping Sandhurst clean for five years under Sandhurst Town Council’s Sandhurst Pride initiative, has found her role goes beyond just picking up litter, and most locals see her as a modern-day bobby on the beat.

Wendy explained: “Some-thing interesting always happens when I’m out working.

“This morning I was asked by a little old lady if I could help her home. I found someone asleep in a shed and I’m constantly being asked for directions.”

In fact Wendy carries maps around with her so she can give lost drivers the right directions.

It is this dedication to the community which has made her such a respected figure in the area.

With two awards under her belt, and the only full-time picker of a three-strong team, Wendy has proven to be a crusader when it comes to collecting rubbish and in a typical week she can collect anything from 150 to 1,000-plus tins and bottles alone.

Wendy was recently presented with a golden tin to commemorate passing the 100,000 mark for collected tins, and in the past few months she has added an unbelievable 16,000 to that number.

Although Wendy admits that picking up litter has become something of an obsession, it can sometimes feel like she is fighting a losing battle.

Wendy said: “If I’m feeling a bit fed-up and someone tells me how much they appreciate the work I’m doing then that makes me feel good.

“A lady came up to me the other day and gave me a bouquet of flowers as she wanted to thank me for the work I do.

“The compliments I receive from people who stop and talk to me make me think it is all worthwhile.

“If people ask why I do it, it’s because I enjoy making a difference.”

Locals will often see Wendy, sponsored by Beesley and Goodman Hair and Wig Centre, out on her trike come wind, rain or snow, collecting unusual items as well as everyday litter such as beer tins and fast food containers.

Unfortunately animals tied up in plastic bags and a dead dog have been among the things removed from the streets by Wendy, the longest serving member of the team, along with bottles of drink, purses, wallets, cereal bowls and cutlery.

Another strange thing people throw away seems to be money, and Wendy collects it, changes it at a bank and gives it to a local charity.

It also seems people cannot bear to be parted from their drinks at closing time and Wendy makes regular stops at pubs to take back beer glasses which end up on the grass verges through the town.

Drug paraphernalia is a particular nuisance and Wendy picks up a wide range of ‘bongs’, both purpose-built and ones made of plastic bottles and other junk.

Add these items to the constant littering of cigarette ends, cigarette papers and cellophane, beer tins and bottles,  pizza boxes, fast-food wrappers and chip paper carelessly strewn around, and it paints a dismal picture.

Yet it is everyday rubbish which annoys Wendy — things which can be taken home and recycled or taken to the Coffee Spot’s recycling centre.

Wendy said: “People throw things out of car windows and even throwing out food is unacceptable as birds and animals get run over when they are eating the food.

“Everybody should recycle more and I think that if changing the dustbin service to two-week collections forces people into recycling then it will be a good thing.”

Another bee in Wendy’s bonnet are dog owners who let their pets foul the pavement or pick up the mess only to sling the bag into a hedge, completely defeating the purpose of cleaning it up.

So whether you are the leaflet delivery person who thought that the stack of leaflets under the bush would never be discovered, or the grateful owner of a recently returned postman’s bike, with Wendy around there’s no place for waste in her town.