Andrew Dunlop hauled 85 tyres out of the River Ore in just two days after his village was hit by dramatic flooding.
The 26-year-old wanted to prevent a repeat of last year’s heartbreak when several Cardenden families were forced from their homes.
The keen fisherman noticed the river running through the heart of the community was choked with rubbish.
And he figured clearing it out might help keep water levels down.
Since then, the new dad has pulled out all manner of items.
They include 11 mountain bikes, several wheelchairs, mobility scooters and even what he feared was a dead body.
“It turned out to be a massive doll but I was pulling it by the legs and I thought it was a person,” he said.
“I had to sit down for about half an hour after that one.”
Unprecedented flooding
Like most people in Cardenden, Andrew was horrified when households were left several feet underwater in August last year.
The floods followed unprecedented rainfall and prompted calls for flood defences in the area.
That’s when Andrew thought keeping the River Ore free of debris might help matters.
“When I looked at the aftermath I thought somebody needs to do something about this,” he said.
I’ve been up to my neck in water,”
Andrew Dunlop.
“The flooding was terrible, just atrocious. It flooded houses and shops and some people lost everything.
“I saw a guy on YouTube who fishes with magnets so I went and got myself one.”
But it soon became apparent a magnet wasn’t enough to clear the extent of the rubbish in the river.
“I couldn’t believe what was in there,” Andrew said.
“I ended up just getting into the water and pulling out whatever I could.
“I’ve been up to my neck in water some days.”
‘There was a thing that looked like a dog’
One of his first hauls included two two-metre metal pipes, followed by a pile of metal spikes.
“There was a thing that looked like a dog,” he said.
“You should have seen the looks I was getting when I took it to the bin – it was a cushion in the shape of a dog!”
And Andrew also carries a saw with him to cut back branches and other blockages from the river’s edge.
“It makes me so angry,” he said.
“Some of the bikes I pulled out were beautiful. There was nothing wrong with them.
“Why are people dumping them in the river?”
Andrew, who lives with partner Chloe Russell and five-month-old daughter Eliza, is attracting praise locally.
“People stop me and thank me for what I’m doing. They tell me I’m doing a good job and that’s nice to hear.”
And news of his work is spreading, meaning he’s now getting requests from other areas.
“I’ve done it in Glenrothes, I’ve been to Rosyth and Inverkeithing and I’ve done it in Kirkcaldy too,” he said.
“I never thought I could get so much enjoyment from helping others.”
Meet our other Community Champions:
Fife’s kilted litter-picker Peter Wright.
Arbroath litter-picking hero Lily Souter is little Miss Sunshine.
Jess Smith draws on her life as a Traveller to encourage greater understanding.
Dundee volunteer Susan McKenzie said giving back improved her self-confidence.