Virginia man dresses as Darth Vader, picks up trash along highway

BLACKSBURG, Va. -- A Virginia man is on a personal crusade against roadside litter and he says he doesn't want the environment to fall to the "dark side"

Henry Wakley dresses up as Darth Vader before he goes out each week to collect litter for the state's adopt-a-highway program, WSLS reports.

He says he enjoys the reaction he gets from passing motorists.

"I like to get out here and dress up because it makes people smile driving by. The lack of cleanliness disrupts me. We need to end this destructive behavior to restore the galaxy," Wakley said.

Mostly, it's a labor of environmental love. He says he wants to keep the galaxy clean. For now though, he's concentrating on this stretch of rural highway in Blacksburg, Va.

Someone apparently alerted police that "batman" was walking along the highway, but officers cleared up the confusion that it was actually Darth Vader, using the force for good, not evil.