[WillowTheWhisp]

I'm not against a bit of dirt and my kids have got as grubby as the next when out playing but Less made the point that there are some very serious illnesses which can be contracted by handling rubbish whch has had rats and mice on it (and how do you know it has or hasn't?) not to mention stray cats and dogs. The argument about allergies being rife because we keep our children too sterile is a good one but you don't become immune to toxicara (for one example) by being infected by it, you just become blind. Bin men are not expected to pick up rubbish by hand these days for health and safety reasons so common sense should show that it is not safe for children to do so either.