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LONDON: Baby boomers are increasingly embracing new forms of meditation to maintain their mental equanimity.

Most days, at dawn, Dean Walton rises and heads to the beaches of Victoria’s surfing capital, Torquay.

But he doesn’t go out to catch waves, or even to swim. Walton’s passion, for which he is unpaid, is picking up rubbish from the town’s foreshore, streets and parks.

As others dig sandcastles and chat at cafes, Walton can be out for up to six hours, walking and cycling and chucking trash into a bag as he goes, using thick gloves and one of those pincers on a stick.

He does this even in winter. He doesn’t mind the cold.

Walton describes it as meditative, a word that surfers often use, and good for his mental health.

On Sunday mornings he’s part of the Rubbish Rangers volunteer group, which includes his wife, Mel Howard.

It’s not a job for the squeamish: members pick up everything from soiled nappies to bags of vomit and congealed food on barbecues.

But Walton says there are many rewards, such as the views. Sunrises over the beach can be spectacular.

In addition, he says, “I have some anxiety issues so I find picking up rubbish super-calming. I find it meditative.

“You shut everything off and all you’re doing is walking and looking for another bit of rubbish. So your mind just switches right off.”

He says it’s satisfying to return iPhones and wallets to their owners.

Some finds are fascinating. One Rubbish Ranger found an abandoned caravan.

Walton has recently come across a 1943 penny, a wok and an uneaten McDonald’s order including chicken nuggets, six hamburgers, three serves of fries and two drinks.

The retired accountant says that when he and his wife, also an accountant, moved to Torquay from the Melbourne suburb of Warrandyte North four years ago, they felt lucky to be able to live in the holiday town south of Geelong. He says their anti-litter work is a way to give back to the community.

The Rangers group has also helped them make friends with fellow tidy town exponents.

Torquay Rubbish Rangers is the third group of its type to form in the region.

Businesswoman Glenys Drayton started the first, in Aireys Inlet, four years ago, and there is another group in Anglesea.

Drayton says locals appreciate their efforts, posting their thanks on Facebook and tooting their horns.

“Very often, a local will throw $50 on the table at a cafe when we’re there and say, ‘The coffees are on me today,’” she says.

“I’ve heard cyclists say it is now safer for them to ride along the Great Ocean Road without punctures or hitting something that’s lying on the side of the road.”

James Zocchi, owner of the Salty Dog Cafe at Fishermans Beach in Torquay, says Walton and the Torquay Rubbish Rangers are fantastic and make a difference to the town.

Surf Coast Shire Mayor Liz Pattison says Walton’s daily efforts are inspiring.

“I think Dean Walton is a wonderful example of loving where you live,” Pattison says.

“Torquay is a tourist attraction and Dean, alongside his fellow rubbish rangers, does a wonderful job in making sure it looks as beautiful to visitors as it does to those who live here.”