A Kaohsiung court let a woman off with a token punishment after she hurt a sanitation worker by hurling her trash at a moving garbage truck, a ruling that will frustrate prosecutors and frontline cleanup crews.

• The woman chased a garbage truck and flung her bag before it stopped, hitting a worker's thigh and bruising it.
• Prosecutors charged her with assault and obstructing a public official; the judge decided she was just a bad thrower and convicted her of negligent injury instead.
• The sentence was 15 days' detention, convertible to a fine.
• Prosecutors appealed, pointing out she had thrown trash at workers days earlier and later posted online attacking the crew, but the high court threw the appeal out.
• Her online post backfired — commenters sided with the workers and defended the fixed-point collection rules.

Outlook: The verdict is final, and the case is likely to fuel more pressure for cities to enforce fixed collection points and protect sanitation crews.