A man with a quirky obsession with dustbins has scooped the top annual award for people with dull hobbies. David Clark - nicknamed Dustbin Dave - has been awarded the 'Anorak of the Year' for his passion for photographing the nation's dustbins.
Dave, 52, has collected more than 10,000 dustbins photos in the last four years and hit the headlines last year when his bizarre interest first became publicly known. The handyman has now been honoured with the top prize from the Dull Men's Club, acknowledging Dave's extraordinary interest in the ordinary and mundane.
Dave said: "I was very honoured to receive the award, with the Dull Men's Club celebrating the ordinary things in life. They talk about various hobbies and it's really interesting, it's like taking a step back from the business of life to notice the things around you."
Other hobbyists noted in the Dull Men's Club include a woman who follows random brown tourist signs and a man who collects milk bottles. But what stemmed as a love for all things trash as a child for Dave turned into something rather more meaningful - he has become the face of a nationwide campaign for recycling.
Dave said: "The most pleasing thing about the award is that people are aware of bins and won't just walk past them and throw their litter in a hedge."
Dave said his interest has been with him since he was seven: "I've always had an interest in rubbish, it started at an early age. I was fascinated going town the tip and watching the bin men collecting. Then one day I saw a bin designed like a Fab lolly.
"That blew me away. Before I thought they were mundane I started taking more notice of bins on my travels and taking pictures. People started sending me their pictures of bins, so I created a 'Best of bins' video which went viral online."
But Dave said that it isn't just the bins with amazing designs that he loves. He's fascinated by the different colours of wheelie bins in different council areas, the council logos as well as indoor bins.
He said: "Places like Holland and Denmark have futuristic bins that go underground. They're so clean there - here in the UK, we're a bit behind the times.
"I like swing bins, wheelie bins, basket bins, and bins for your bathroom, bedroom and kitchen. I like bins in interesting locations, ones with claw feet.
"Even a bin that's been there since the dawn of time, with its lettering coming off and covered in algae- even a bin like that I like. Every bin has a unique quality- maybe that one has a decent size opening."
Dave, from Caister-on-Sea in Norfolk, has wasted no time in capitalising on his fame and has set up a popular Twitter and Facebook page to unite the many fans he has gained. Followers who submit their bins now gain certificates for 'bin of the week' and a 'worlds bins' keyring. He has received bin pictures from Italy, Spain, the Netherlands, Australia, the USA and Mexico.
Grover Click, founder and assistant vice president - the club's highest position - of the Dull Men's Club, said: "Dave is doing something meaningful. He's passionate about it.
"There's not a bin you could put in front of him he couldn't comment on. He's clearly adhering to our motto of celebrating the ordinary."
Dave's top five bins
5. The Isle of Wight
Dave is as impressed by the locations of bins as the bins themselves. This bin scoops spot number five for its fierce stance against the waves.
4. Lake Garda, Italy
A cute robot carries the bin on its back. Dave said: "This is a fun, wacky bin. It gets your attention straight away."
3. Bolnuevo, Spain
Dave found three matching tubes here, which he described as "modern, colourful and very unusual".
2. Cleethorpes, Lincolnshire
Dave said this was home to: "a stunning bin in the shape of the world with a brilliant backdrop".
1. Birchanger, Cambridgeshire
Dave said a rocket-shaped bin here was "one for the youngsters to enjoy".
