Family Cleans 43km of Highway for 10 Months, Earns Vanilla Slice

When Debra Docking and her sisters finally reached the Mount Barker bakery after ten months of highway cleanup, only three vanilla slices remained on the shelf. The bakery had saved them specially, then gave them away for free to celebrate the end of an extraordinary journey.

The Just Bin It crew started their mission last June with a simple goal: clean the 43-kilometer stretch of Albany Highway between their hometown and Mount Barker, where sister Rhonda's favorite vanilla slice waited. Every Friday since, Debra, sisters Rhonda and Jennifer, and brother-in-law Len Wignall walked the highway with trash bags in hand.

They collected over five tonnes of rubbish across nearly 800 bags. From takeaway containers and car grills to an endless stream of mismatched gloves, the family hauled everything off the roadside, averaging nearly seven kilograms per bag.

The inspiration came from their mother, Jeannette Western, who picked up litter during her daily commute for years. "She always had a bag and picked up litter, and I think she just taught us girls to look after our country and respect it," Debra said.

The family discovered that much of the highway trash comes from uncovered trailer loads. Despite laws requiring drivers to secure their cargo, tools, PVC piping, and packaging regularly fly onto the roadside from work vehicles.

The Ripple Effect

The family's bright vests and homemade signs caught attention along the highway, inspiring honking support from passing drivers and even a surprise cheesecake delivery. Local authorities including Main Roads and the shires of Albany and Plantagenet stepped in to collect the filled bags, while the crew cashed in over 2,000 containers through recycling programs.

Their visible presence sparked conversations about Australia's litter problem without any official campaign or government backing. The sisters tried contacting various departments about the Williams stretch problem but found little support, so they decided action spoke louder than complaints.

Now that they've reached Mount Barker, the mission continues. Debra will conduct spot checks on Albany Highway through winter while her sisters and brother-in-law head north to Broome to start cleaning a new stretch of country.

One mother's daily habit of caring for her community grew into a family tradition that cleared five tonnes of trash and inspired countless drivers to think twice before littering.