People are asked to wrap up sharp objects before putting them out

All the collectors needed hospital treatment for their injuries.

The most serious was after a householder put dog faeces in a bin which gave one collector an infection which lasted a month.

Three other bin men were injured by either broken glass or sharp tins which were left in refuse sacks.

Dangerous items

Two bin men required stitches after broken glass which had not been wrapped pierced through the bin bags.

In another incident, a sharp tin sliced though a bin bag and cut through the glove of another bin man in the district.

In the most recent incident during a collection, a bag split, spraying dog faeces into the refuse collector's face and eyes.

He contracted an infection and was off work for a month.

Richard Isbell from Caradon District Council said: "While most people dispose of their rubbish sensibly, there are, unfortunately, a few who seem to think that their refuse disappears by magic and don't stop to think about the dangerous of including such items.

"It only takes a few minutes to dispose of waste responsibly and it makes all the difference to the safety of the bin men."

Householders are being asked to double-warp sharp objects in newspaper and to dispose of dog mess either in the district's dog waste bins or by burying it in their garden.