A pensioner on the state's south coast has won an inaugural Clean Up Australia award for his decades of work picking up litter. But Michael Filby isn't just collecting rubbish around his home town. The eighty year old travels hundreds of kilometres every week picking up trash on the South West highway doing a job no government department will take on. The task has cost him thousands of his pension dollars, but now there's hope of support from corporate donors.
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00:00In the forest near Walpole, a retired policeman is on the beat, looking for rubbish offences.
00:10This area is paradise, we've got to keep it clean.
00:14For the past 20 years, Michael Philby has been patrolling this stretch of highway.
00:19If this had bottles, tins, McDonalds, it would spoil this entire image.
00:24We're heading north now towards Pemberton.
00:27A 200km round trip he does every week.
00:32It bisects the Walpole wilderness.
00:34This highway has to be kept clean for environmental reasons.
00:39I'm an ambassador for Keep Australia Beautiful.
00:42This is given out to drivers to help keep the environment clean.
00:47They then dispose of it beside the road.
00:49He's lost count of the bags he's filled.
00:52Bin it, but don't throw it.
00:54And the hundreds of tonnes he's collected.
00:57An average selection of half a bag.
00:59This would have been dumped in the bush by people who are travelling.
01:03Picking up someone else's litter is a simple but profound act.
01:08Now his selfless solo work has been recognised nationally.
01:13An award brings accolades, but there's still no government department willing to shoulder his load, or the expense.
01:22I spend myself $10,000 a year, so I've spent $200,000.
01:27But now, after the award, private sponsors are showing interest.
01:31But we are chasing places like IGA, supermarkets that actually make benefit from much of this packaging.
01:40And Clean Up Australia too.
01:42They actually suggested that there might be some funds available to help support it.
01:49Michael knows his time on the highway is finite.
01:53Do you think people are getting better?
01:55Yes I do. Not soon enough.
01:58Turning 80 this year, nothing is soon enough.
02:02So we do need it to hurry up.
02:04The power of one, working to start a chain reaction.