MUNCIE, Ind. – William M. Bowen woke up after a night of drinking with friends and realized he was inside a commercial trash-collection truck full of waste.

The driver was about to activate its compactor when he heard Bowen screaming.

“He looked up and this gentleman was standing out the top of our truck,” said Larry Green, market safety supervisor for the Rumpke disposal company.

“This gentleman was extremely intoxicated,” he said.

Bowen told police he had been drinking with buddies at a Muncie bar until about 3 a.m. Thursday. He said he didn’t recall how he ended up inside the trash bin.