In a rare occasion, a ceremony has been held for three garbage pick-up donkeys who have completed their tenure in the southeastern province of Mardin. The ceremony was organized in Artuklu district of Mardin State, where the municipality uses 40 donkeys to collect garbage from narrow alleys featuring ladders obstructing the activity of garbage pick-up vehicles. Turkish TV channels showed reports on the concert, which saw segments of international classical music of Mozart and Beethoven. Cleaning workers in the municipality also served some melon and vegetables for the three retired donkeys in honor of their efforts. Municipal official Kadri Toparlı said: “The municipality was obliged to use donkeys in collecting garbage because many of the district’s alleyways are narrow and include ladders, making it difficult to collect waste through vehicles intended for that purpose.”