The invention provides a device (10, 210, 510) for collecting material from a surface. The device is particularly but not necessarily exclusively suited to collection of animal excreta, it has a jaw arrangement (22, 224, 524) which is able to be opened to define a mouth (28) for receiving the material to be collected, and to be closed to collect the material. A conveyor mechanism (44, 46, 364) is provided for advancing collected material into a housing (12, 512). A liner (33) is placed over the jaw arrangement to separate it from the material being collected. The conveyor mechanism serves to advance the liner along with the material collected therein, whereby the material is able to be collected into the housing and retained in the liner without making contact with surfaces of the device.