By Faye Mayern
A garbage bin enthusiast who hit the headlines for his “wacky” obsession has picked his favorites from the last year.
Dave Clarke – nicknamed “Dustbin Dave” – was overjoyed to find a bin on top of the O2 Arena in London and crowned it his personal best of 2025.
And Dave, who found fame for his unlikely hobby of photographing British rubbish bins, becomes swamped with photos sent in by bin-fanatics to his Facebook page Bins Fantastic.
Dave, 55, has now collated more than 4,500 photos of bins from friends, family and strangers around the world.
The father-of-two, from Caister-on-Sea in Norfolk, has picked out his favorite submissions from 2025 and revealed the most-liked is a life-ring bottle bank.
Dave, a self-employed gardener, said: “People tell me they get addicted to it and are always on the lookout for bins.
“A lot of it is word of mouth. People start to take photos of quirky bins in front of friends and family and it branches out from there.
“It’s evolving into bin photography and it gets the message across about using our bins.
“I think the UK is getting there. We’re a bit behind when you compare us to Europe.
“The streets are so clean but here in the UK there is litter pretty much everywhere you turn to. “
Dave also ran a ‘Eurobinvision’ on the same night as the Eurovision Song Contest, posting specially decorated entries to be voted the winner.
Keeping Britain tidy has always been a big priority for Dave who used to play-pretend as a binman when he was a child.
Dave’s children Holly, 19, and Elliot, 15, have joined their dad regularly litter picking and recently won a community award.
In late 2025, fly-tippers dumped hundreds of tonnes of illegal waste, stacked 10 meters high and sparking outrage in an Oxfordshire field.
Dave said fly-tipping did seem to be on the rise and shared his own tips for the best way to dispose of waste.
He said: “A lot of the recycling centers have changed, so you have to book and just can’t drive in.
“I think it’s put a few people off, especially if they’re not sure how to book. You do get a lot of people coming round offering to clear your waste for a really cheap price.
“But they might not be properly licensed to take your waste and they could be dumping it on the back roads.
“Ask if they’ve got their waste carriers’ license or some documentation to make sure they’re not flytipping.”
Dave hopes to publish his own bin compilation book in the future.
DAVE’S FAVORITE UK BIN: London, UK. Dave found a bin on top of the O2 Arena.
MOST LIKED BINS:
London, UK. A bottle bin to help support marine life is a ‘brilliant example of how bins have progressed’.Great Yarmouth, Norfolk. This Biffa classic has its own toilet and is ‘protected’ by dogs.Caister-on-Sea, Norfolk. Bins made out of pallets for a community project.Hastings, UK. Dave says it’s perfect for cans and a great photo opportunity.
