Northeast Philly Man Recognized For 25 Years Of Service

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PHILADELPHIA (CBS) - He's a man on a mission, one that he never expected anyone to notice.

Through the scorching summer heat, rain, even snow, one could say Edward Mitchell is as reliable as the Postal Service.

"I walk a couple hours a day," Mitchell says. "I keep pretty busy, you know."

And in Northeast Philadelphia, there's no shortage of work to be done.

"I don't like it," he notes. "I pick it up."

Ed, or Mr. Mitchell as he's known in these parts, doesn't like litter. And for more than two decades now, he has made it his mission to clean up.

"He just loves to get up and he loves to walk," Lana Smith says of her uncle. "He just really, really loves to clean up, this whole neighborhood, he'll be cleaning up."

Every day, Mr. Mitchell makes his way around Bustleton and Somerton collecting trash. People have spotted his friendly face on Red Lion Road, Verree, The Boulevard and neighborhoods in between.

With a fist full of trash in one hand, his shopping cart in the other, Mr. Mitchell has become such a familiar sight that he has now officially been recognized for his diligence with certificates from both the city and State Representative Martina White for 25 years of community service.

"He thought he was going down for a bucket and a gripper and a trash bag to clean up, but they gave him an award," Smith says. "It was emotional, I was very happy for him."

Lana Smith lives with her uncle, Ed. She says he has an intellectual disability, but is proof there is nothing one can't accomplish.

"He'll come back for 20 minutes, then he wants to go again," Smith says with a laugh.

He's still going at 62 years old and battling arthritis. Yet, Mr. Mitchell doesn't know what all the fuss is about. A little hard work is simply no sweat off his back.

"I'm used to it," Mitchell says with a smile.