Ay yes, you just hit a new feature of MacOSX, which wasn't there in MacOS9.

The root is the central controller of your computer. All rights to do anything it wants. You on the other side are likely the administrator.
Two ways to do it: First: Use the command line. You'll feel like a linux geek doing it and will be greatly pleased when you discover some of the secrets in your Operation System (I was ), but you'll also deal with a whole new way of controlling your computer, which isn't quite as easy as your used to (but also not as limited, you can do anything when you're root and your system never even says nay, just gets killed when you do something wrong...).

The other way is using the Finde and your Admin-Privileges.

I'll describe the second. To do the first you can get instructions here: http://www.macosxhints.com/

The other way is:
-Get Info on the file in your trash
-Open the arrow "owner and ..." (I got a german system, need to translate)
-Look into details
-Click on the lock to the right, you'll have to enter your user-name and password.
-Choose your user name from the pulldown menu where you read root.
-Click the button "for all subobjects" (or so, exactly below the pulldown menu "others").
-Try emptying the trash once more.

Tell me if it worked

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