STIRLING council’s waste coordinator Keith Rickman has been crowned this year’s “waste champion”, just in time for his retirement later this year.

Mr Rickman has been at Stirling for almost 50 years, all of it in waste management. Despite starting  when there was just one metal bin for everything and the garbos hauled them into the back of the truck by hand, he’s become something of a recycling guru.

Mayor Mark Irwin recognised Mr Rickman’s award at the last council meeting, saying he’d implemented or initiated some of the biggest changes waste management had seen in WA.

“Keith proactively manages over 50 charity clothing bins in collaboration with some major charities in WA,” Mr Irwin said.

“It is known as one of the most impressive partnerships within Australia.