City officials in Daegu, South Korea, have removed 80 metric tonnes (88 US tons) of garbage from the home of a family of hoarders, after the residents of the household were sent to local medical facilities for psychological treatment.
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The massive clean-up occurred over three days last month, city officials said on Thursday.
The family, consisting of a woman in her 60s and her two adult children in their 40s, was placed under “administrative hospitalisation”. This process involves the forced admission of individuals whose diagnosed mental disorders pose a danger to themselves or others, according to a report from The Korea Herald.
The son reportedly has a severe intellectual disability, while his mother and sister suffer from Plyushkin’s disorder – also known as hoarding disorder – which is a condition characterised by an inability to part with possessions.
Once the family was admitted for treatment, officials persuaded them to consent to a “wide-scale cleaning” of their home in Daegu, a city about 310km (193 miles) southeast of Seoul.
The huge build-up of rubbish had led to pest infestations and unpleasant odours, prompting complaints from neighbours.