British Garbagemen Refuse to Empty Recycling Box Over a Maggott

British garbage collectors — called binmen over there — have made international news when they refused to empty an every-other-week recycling box because it contained a maggot.

When John Harlow, the bin owner, called the Warwick District Council to complain, he was told it was against council rules for contractors to handle "live animals," and that the box's contents would only be collected if he dumped it into the garbage can instead.

The staff member at the council had called the maggot livestock, which is why the binmen wouldn't handle it.

"I live in the country and see livestock like sheep, pigs and cattle regularly but there were none in my box," Harlow told the London Daily Mail. "It is hardly surprising the odd maggot gets into the rubbish when they only collect the bins every two weeks."

In more shocking news, the Council apologized for the screwup and told the Daily Mail, "we are sorry Mr. Harlow has experienced problems with the service. Contractors are expected to be practical about what they leave and what they take."

Another spokesman for the council said, "The call centre officer who took Mr Harlow's call was incorrect in stating that 'maggots were classed as livestock.'"

In the future, they will only be classified as "tort lawyers."

Not too surprisingly, the garbage contractor refused to comment. There is no truth to the report that they were busy milking mice out back.

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