TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — After a woman fell and was trapped inside a clothing recycling bin, the Keelung Bureau of Environmental Protection announced that it would limit the size of bins’ openings.
According to the Keelung City Police Bureau, a pedestrian heard distressed cries and calls for help at the entrance of an alley in Zhongshan District early in the morning on Monday (Sept. 5). Unable to find where the person was, the individual called the police for help.
When a police officer, Hsu Yu-hsiang (徐友祥), arrived on the scene at 3:45 a.m., there appeared to be nothing wrong. However, upon listening closely, he heard weak groans and calls for help.
After responding to the cries for help and searching the alley, Hsu found that the source of the voice came from within a clothing recycling bin. A 68-year-old woman surnamed Huang (黃) had accidentally dropped her phone inside along with old clothes and attempted to climb in to retrieve it.
However, when she did, she fell head-first into the bin with her foot stuck in the opening.
After learning what happened, Hsu calmed Huang down and proceeded to report the incident to the fire department, which sent staff members to break the bin’s lock. When Huang escaped, she was shaken, weak, but unharmed, and thanked her rescuers profusely.
In a video taken during the rescue posted by local media, the police could be heard saying that it took nearly two hours to find Huang, who had also dialed 110 herself. In the call, she was unable to give a clear location and told the police in Taiwanese she was at the “recycling location,” which led the police to think she was at a recycling depot.
Huang said in the video that before climbing into the bin, she confirmed that her phone had fallen inside by calling it with her husband’s phone. “I’ve lived to be so old, and ended up being trapped,” she added with a sigh.
In response to the incident, the Keelung City Government issued a press release on Sunday (Sept. 11), announcing its decision to limit clothing recycling bin openings to a size of 45 by 45 centimeters. For bins with larger openings, it will require an emergency exit that only opens from the inside as an escape route in case similar accidents occur.
Rescuers break the lock on the recycling bin in order to save Huang. (Facebook, Keelung City Police Bureau photo)