A teenage boy has cleared more than 18 tonnes of garbage dumped by fly-tippers on a country road after being disgusted at the mess.
The locals gave Daniel Lewis, who is 16, the nickname SuperDan after his one-man operation to clean up the streets around Merthyr Tydfil, South Wales.
He set up litter picks and a community skip scheme to provide free skips to villages that are near his hometown.
But his biggest mission was to clear up a country road which was infamous for fly-tipping -- and collected more than 18 tonnes of rubbish, with furniture, children’s toys, and old clothes among it.
In the last year, this is the third time he has tackled the spot called Bogey Road in Merthyr Tydfil.
Daniel Lewis, 16, nicknamed SuperDan by locals after his one-boy mission
He cleared up a country road notorious for fly-tipping -- and collected over 18 tonnes of waste that included furniture, children’s toys, and old clothes
This is the third time he has tackled the spot known as Bogey Road (pictured) in Merthyr Tydfil in the last year
The teenager said: ‘I was walking up near Bogey Road in Merthyr last week when I noticed there was a lot of old tires and litter that looked absolutely terrible on the side of the road.
‘I had already been up to this spot on clearances three times in the last year or so, and seeing so much of it dumped up there again was very annoying and frustrating for me.
‘There was just so much of it, and to see how fast it builds up is crazy, to be honest with you. I contacted a number of local businesses that have been helping me with my projects recently and we agreed to get it all cleaned this week.
‘We started at around 7 am with a grab picker lorry, and it took us a good three or four hours to get it all cleared and transported to a refuse site.
‘I’m just hoping now it’s done we won’t have to go back to this spot for a good while. Of course, it can sometimes feel like you’re fighting a losing battle when you see the mess left just weeks after a clean, but I’m not going to give up on the amazing beauty spots we have here in Merthyr.’
Daniel said: ‘We started at around 7 am with a grab picker lorry, and it took us a good three or four hours to get it all cleared and transported to a refuse site’
He added: ‘I’m just hoping now it’s done we won’t have to go back to this spot for a good while. Of course it can sometimes feel like you’re fighting a losing battle when you see the mess left just weeks after a clean, but I’m not going to give up on the amazing beauty spots we have here in Merthyr’
Daniel already has many other projects lined up for the future around his hometown
Daniel, who is a passionate lover of nature and wildlife photography says he has an intention to continue with the cleanup of his hometown, and has many other projects waiting for the future.
Last week he also collected around 130 old tires from the same place, arranging for all of them to be disposed of with the help of donations from local businesses.
Daniel added: ‘I have to give a big thank you to all the local businesses who have helped me clear this mess up over the last few months, as without them providing free services or sponsorship helping with the costs of collecting and disposing of the waste it wouldn’t be possible.
‘Bryn Group of Gelligaer sponsored the tipping costs and allowed me to tip all 18 tonnes of waste for free.
‘Hopefully, people start to take notice and stop fly-tipping in the area now, as it will look a lot better for all of us if they do.’
The boy has also collected around 130 old tires from the same area, organizing for all of them to be disposed of with the help of donations from local businesses
Daniel said: ‘I have to give a big thank you to all the local businesses who have helped me clear this mess up over the last few months, as without them providing free services or sponsorship helping with the costs of collecting and disposing of the waste it wouldn’t be possible’
Daniel’s mother Lesley Lewis is ‘incredibly proud’ of the work her son is doing
Ms. Lewis said: ‘We’re so proud of what Daniel has done, and it’s amazing to see all of the hard work he’s put in during the last few months to clear up the mess here’
She added: ‘He’s always been involved with volunteering projects and other things like this ever since he was young, and the pride he has for the smaller communities is what inspires him to do it I think’
Ashley Edmunds, 32, works with his father at TJ Edmunds and sons where they have use of a skip and grab lorry, and explains that it was terrible to see the mess on the road, when they arrived on the spot.
‘It was shocking to see it like that when we arrived, and to be honest this is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to fly-tipping in Merthyr at the moment. It’s an issue that does seem to be getting worse as more and more people keep leaving their waste on the mountains,’ Ashley said.
Leslie Lewis, Daniel’s mother, is ‘incredibly proud’ of the job that Daniel is doing – and also to see the pride he has for the area he lives.
The proud mother said: ‘We’re so proud of what Daniel has done, and it’s amazing to see all of the hard work he’s put in during the last few months to clear up the mess here.
‘He’s always been involved with volunteering projects and other things like this ever since he was young, and the pride he has for the smaller communities is what inspires him to do it I think.
‘It’s very important to talk about the issue of fly-tipping, and highlight how bad it has become.’
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