Meet the litter picking north Derbyshire lorry driver tidying up roadsides in his free time

Mick Hind, 55, has been a trucker for about 25 years and says he is ‘fed up’ of being able to see ‘nothing but litter’ from the cab of his lorry.

The Bolsover grandad said the amount of litter dumped by roads and in hedgerows has increased during the pandemic – and this has spurred him into action.

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Mick, who works for Custom Haulage in Sheffield, spends most weeknights away from home in his lorry and has started carrying out litter picks in whichever part of the UK he finds himself.

"I’m usually parked up in a lay-by or industrial estate and have noticed litter getting really bad during lockdown,” Mick said.

"I was fed up of seeing McDonald’s or KFC wrappers by the side of the road. I was made aware on TikTok of Truckers Cleaning up Britain and got in touch with the organisers.

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"They said to just get a litter picker and start collecting it when parked up and leave the bags by the side of bins.”

Mick said he was soon collecting 18 to 20 bags each night and has been even more prolific at one of his regular overnight haunts at Beattock, on the M74 in Scotland.

"I’ve collected 114 bags at Beattock and people have really started to notice me now,” he said.

"They come up and say it is fantastic what I’m doing and really making a difference.

“That makes me feel good and puts a smile on my face but I don’t see myself as a hero or anything like that. I’m just keeping myself busy.

"If I wasn’t doing it I’d be sat in my lorry on the Xbox. It gets me out the cab and I get a bit of exercise while doing something useful.”

Mick says litter picking, and the good vibes it leaves you with, is ‘addictive’ and he has started collecting rubbish on the roads near his home in Bolsover.

"I’ve started taking the grandchildren out on litter picks and they’ve been enjoying it too,” he said. “Although my wife Marisa laughs and says it’s one of my fads!”

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