Works and Engineering Minister Alex Scott last night warned residents they could be banned from the regular garbage collections if they continued to place animal and human faeces in their trash.

He joined an appeal by trash collectors yesterday for people to find an alternative means of discarding of the waste after a team workers were faced with an ugly mess when they collected garbage in Khyber Pass, Warwick, earlier in the day.

The sanitation staff said even though pet owners put the faeces inside black plastic bags, and even sometimes bagged them twice, the bags frequently burst when they were compacted inside the trash trucks.

The result, said Mr. Scott, was that the workers sometimes were splattered with the animal mess, or had to clean it off the trucks themselves.

And he warned residents that if problems occurred and they ignored written warnings about it from his Ministry, he would authorise the workers to leave garbage sat outside certain homes.

Mr. Scott said: "I totally support their appeal, and I would go a step further. The matter was drawn to my attention today and I have instructed that the collectors and individuals involved get me the address of the home (in Warwick), if they can, where the residue was left in the garbage.

"We will write a warning letter to the householder and, if it should be repeated, we have implemented a policy where we will authorise the collectors to simply pass by the property.

"There is no reason why they should be required to handle this type of waste. They are only mandated to pick up household garbage."

But this is not the first time the trash collectors have complained of having to deal with human and animal faeces in the trash.

In May of 2000, they took random industrial action at some houses around the Island where they had suffered problems.

The result was that garbage was left sitting outside properties in the sweltering heat, leading to complaints.

Warnings were issued to residents, and the collectors resumed their usual pickups soon after.

But yesterday, the issue raised its ugly head again. Mr. Scott said even if the waste was double-bagged, sometimes garbage bags got trapped and filled with air while being compressed in the truck, and both bags could explode.

Therefore, even offering to place the waste in more than one bag was not the answer.

He added: "Some people take the waste themselves to Tynes Bay (Incinerator), where it does not have to go through the process and can be incinerated straight away. That is the best option.

"Or, they can bury it on their property. But I think some environmentalists question that because, over time, if it's done repeatedly, it can eventually get into the water.

"What we are asking is for people to be health conscious and considerate towards the trash collectors. It is a difficult job at best, but this makes it a health hazard."