Can Man Adrian Ablett's work to appear on TV

Litter crusader Adrian "Can Man" Ablett is to have his work featured on TV.

Environmentalist, Adrian, 39, of Fosse Road North, Leicester, recently hit a target of recycling 50,000 aluminium cans and has since added another 1,292 to that.

TV company Landmark Films discovered Adrian's website when searching for likely people to be used in a BBC1 programme about the growing national litter problem and the individuals dedicated to fighting it.

Producer Lizzie Faulkner spent four days alongside Adrian, watching him wage his voluntary battle against can-dumpers, armed with his bike, donated by Bikes for All, an adapted wheelie bin, protective gloves and a litter-picker.

The programme, as yet untitled, is expected to be screened next May and will feature other individuals who are committed to fight the increasing advance of litter and pet-fouling on their own patch.

Although Adrian's main claim to fame is can-collecting, he has branched out into other areas of environmental protection, including river clearance with Leicester City Council's Greenlife Boat project, general litter-picking and graffiti-removal.

He said: "I enjoy doing it and would like to do more. Apart from cans I've found all manner of things people have just thrown out – the other week I found furniture you could have fitted out a front room with."

Adrian Lane, the city council's chief riverside warden who runs the Greenlife project and has worked with Adrian, said: "He's taken cleaning up the environment a step further.

In March, Adrian was presented with Keep Britain Tidy's Local Environment Champion of the Year award.

He said: "There have been some highs and lows this year – with winning the award in March, then losing my job in April. My real dream would be if I could do what I am doing voluntarily and get paid for it.

Adrian hopes to gain sponsors for a three-wheeler van to help him collect more cans and pick up dumped scrap metal which would pay for running and maintaining the vehicle.