Neighbour Using My Rubbish Bin

mooodeng on 23/12/2024 - 08:54
Last edited 23/12/2024 - 08:54

Ok so I've realised today that my opportunist neighbour is using my rubbish bin. I live with my partner and we usually don't manage to fill up our rubbish bin.

I took out the bin last night and the bin was probably 3/4 full. Today is my bin day, and this morning I went out for a walk where I noticed my bin was overflowing. Had a look and it seems that one of my neighbours has used my bin for their rubbish (there was another bin overflowing and had the same style of rubbish bags) My council does provide bigger bins but at an extra cost.

Anything I can do about this?

Home & Garden

Comments

  • theHMASfriendship on 23/12/2024 - 08:57
    +26

    You can ask your neighbour if they are going to top up your bin on bin night please do not leave it overflowing.

  • Jimothy Wongingtons on 23/12/2024 - 08:59
    +19

    If it’s bin night/collection morning I don’t care if my neighbours use my bins, I do get along with 3 out of 4 of my immediate neighbours though. Overfilling is where the line is crossed though imo.

  • c64 on 23/12/2024 - 08:59
    +3

    if it gets taken away then what is the problem?

    • GordonD on 23/12/2024 - 09:03
      +7

      Yes, surely letting them use the unused capacity in your bin is the neighbourly thing for you to do.

      Just as long as the don't fill your bin to overflowing.

      • dtc on 23/12/2024 - 09:43
        +6

        what advantage is being taken from you? Is it costing you money? Is it costing you time? Effort?

        Its actually not even 'your' bin (in most council areas). Its owned by the council (or sometimes the contracted waste collector). So you are being taken advantage of because someone is using something that isnt yours to do something that doesnt cost you any money?

        • elgrande on 23/12/2024 - 14:59
          +1

          Yes, it does cost money. You pay for your bin size in your council rates.

          • poboy on 23/12/2024 - 18:39
            -1

            @elgrande: This is not costing any extra money. Let's not have a strawman argument here. It's not the issue.

      • redforever on 23/12/2024 - 10:00
        +2

        If you are that concerned, you can install a gravity lock that still allow it to be emptied.

      • foursaken on 23/12/2024 - 10:21
        +1

        Wow. Sounds like you don't play well with others.

      • Some Human on 23/12/2024 - 12:51
        +1

        Turn in your ozbargain license now.

      • Nickels n Dimes on 23/12/2024 - 19:50

        That's not always as simple as it sounds — in a rental property the landlord has to do it, and they might be tenants.
        In my case, we have 3 largest size bins and they end up overflowing every time they're collected, the rest piles up in our carport which probably doesn't enthrall our neighbours, so they're happy to let us use the rest of their bins (so far).

  • Dollar General on 23/12/2024 - 09:01
    +6

    Put the bin out in the morning probably ll you can do

  • BathRobe on 23/12/2024 - 09:07
    +5

    Once the bins are out they are fair game, but only to their limit. Ask them to not over-fill!

  • joka on 23/12/2024 - 09:17
    +4

    Usually I’d say “who cares” but if it’s overflowing and attracts the birds who love ripping bags and pulling out the rubbish and making a mess for you to clean up then yeh, that’s a problem. I’d take bags out and dump them at the door of the person who did it and I’d have a good reason to do so.

  • ihbh on 23/12/2024 - 09:22
    +6

    Next time stick a sign on your bin on bin night: "If you want to use my bin, please put $5 in my letterbox."

    You might get lucky and get $5 or a bag of doggy doo.

    When I wasn't home, my neighbour used my green bin, pulled it out and pulled it back in after it was emptied. When I did a lot of work and my bin was overflowing and his wasn't, I added it to his. It's more efficient to work in big blocks rather than piecemeal dictated by the capacity of your bin. Luckily we have neighbours who aren't knobs.

  • Hardlyworkin on 23/12/2024 - 09:30
    +1

    Call 1800 binpolice

  • Save Medicare on 23/12/2024 - 09:53
    +1

    Respond swiftly and decisively. Make it clear that you do not negotiate with bin overladeners

  • holdenmg on 23/12/2024 - 10:02

    Put a Padlock through the Lid and the Base.

    Take it out the night before.

    Unlock Padlock prior to the Truck

    Job Done.

    Be aware some Councils propose to charge by Bin Weight, so you don't want to be paying for your Neighbours rubbish to be removed.

    • Euphemistic on 23/12/2024 - 10:53
      +7

      If you need to go remove a padlock before the truck arrives, wouldnt you just be better off putting the bin out at that time?

      • holdenmg on 23/12/2024 - 11:18
        +1

        Maybe.

        But if you put the Bin out with a Padlock, the Neighbour will see it and should cease and desist (unless they have bolt cutters).

    • Protractor on 23/12/2024 - 14:46

      Maybe a really loud shrieking alarm linked to the lid. Activate after putting bin out.
      Or a notice under lid saying *"WTF are you doing live on youtube using my bin?"**

      Maybe a wireless speaker in the shrubbery to whisper messages to the neighbour as he deposits his rubbish?

  • JimmyF on 23/12/2024 - 10:07
    +2

    Anything I can do about this?

    Wait till the truck comes down the street and put it out?

    Honestly its the rules of the street, once the bin is out on the street, its fair game for others to use.

    You're hardly being 'taken advantage' as claimed. This was bin space you hadn't planned on using, cost you nothing extra etc.

  • mrkorrupt on 23/12/2024 - 10:17
    +1

    I agree with the majority here, You should take the bin out as late as possible prior to the truck coming where convenient, eg. I live on my own and take it out sunday night after 7pm. its usually a quarter full, I don't mind if people drop their items into my bin after I take it out. if they place items in it before I bring it in (like a small chip wrapper or rubbish they would have thrown on the side of the road then its okay, but no bags etc.

    Also I had a person who placed their big huge boxes in my recycle bin a few days before the pickup day, I had a gander and saw there info on it, was about to take it back to their joint, but instead took photos and reported to council after removing from my bin.

    • bohn on 23/12/2024 - 15:20

      I had a gander and saw there info on it,

      they (profanity) up, always cut the address/postage labels off ;)

  • try2bhelpful on 23/12/2024 - 10:25
    +1

    As long as it isn’t overflowing I really don’t care. If you want to get anal about it install a camera to catch the culprit. However, it won’t do a lot for neighbourly relations. We used to live next door to the neighbour from hell. Wait until you have real issues you need to deal with.

  • bbinc on 23/12/2024 - 10:37
    +3

    I’m not against bin sharing, but councils are becoming very picky about correct sorting and forbidden stuff. Overflowing is a no-no. Council often refuses to take it. Our council also polices what’s in the bins from time to time and leaves audit tags on our bins. So if a dog walker puts doggy do in our recycling, green or glass bin it doesn’t get taken. Yes, we have four different bins each with finicky sorting rules. One worker makes sure the bins are clear of cars, lifts the lids and has a look to see if it all complies. Some councils have cameras in the trucks apparently.
    So bin sharing means the neighbour has to care about the correct sorting too. If they put the wrong stuff in then I have to fish it out. If they fill my bin up where do I put my rubbish? It’s not a free service, there is a specific charge on the rates notice, and is more for larger bins.

  • Euphemistic on 23/12/2024 - 10:55
    +1

    If its not overfull, i dont care.

    I often put stuff in my neighobours bins - when they are away. Put the bins out for them, pht something in them so the bin truck doesnt pick up an empty.

    • cheepo on 23/12/2024 - 11:45

      I wish I had neighbors like you.

      • Protractor on 23/12/2024 - 13:32
        +1

        Everybody needs good …. neighbours

    • freefall101 on 23/12/2024 - 13:58

      There's always a neighbour who either hates it for no reason or takes it too far.

      My neighbours all do this with each other, but once I didn't get to bringing in a green bin until the next day and someone completely filled it in the meantime (it wasn't my waste, full of branches from trees I don't have). It meant 2 weeks of storing all my green waste.

      I asked a neighbour about putting some of my stuff in their bin once, when we were both putting bins out at the same time and it was a flat no. I even asked if his was full and it was a no, apparently it's his bin and I can use my own. Gotta love grumpy old people.

  • Bruceflix on 23/12/2024 - 11:21
    +4

    I'd rather have a neighbour using my bin than have a neighbour whose house is overflowing with rubbish.

  • JIMB0 on 23/12/2024 - 11:44

    Put grease on the handles.

  • mapax on 23/12/2024 - 11:50

    Walk your neighbour up to the bin, take some inspiration from the latter part of this video.
    jk maybe not…

    • Jimothy Wongingtons on 23/12/2024 - 12:06

      I looked but there was no companion behind the scenes video of the making of that music clip video… the song IS kinda catchy though

      • mapax on 23/12/2024 - 12:14
        +2

        Only problem is I think it has been used on an Aldi advert recently sonyoubwillnhavevto wear an Aldi branded tracksuit whilst listening to it…

        • Jimothy Wongingtons on 23/12/2024 - 12:32
          +1

          an Aldi branded tracksuit

          I’m sure I’ve seen a real one before online … I’d unironically wear one to do my usual Colesworths shop

          • mapax on 23/12/2024 - 12:33
            +1

            @Jimothy Wongingtons: lol, just saw that massive typo I made! That’s what I get for phone posting without glasses on.

            I think they were available in Aldi earlier in the year.

            • Protractor on 23/12/2024 - 13:11
              +3

              @mapax: Cheers, for that, you found my next password

  • cheepo on 23/12/2024 - 11:59

    This is one of those neighborly things that we can get divided on and where people sometimes don't apply courtesy. You may need to confront your neighbor if it's impacting you to the point of council not collecting it or rubbish overflowing into the streets as a result of the bin being too full etc.

    Take into consideration the relationship you have with you neighbor. If it's somebody you don't have much interaction with or know are difficult, you may be wasting your time and you're better off taking out the bins late at night or early in the morning as others have suggested. There is no escaping neighbors (unless you move somewhere remote of course) so taking the high road is always my first approach to any issues I have with mine.

  • Some Human on 23/12/2024 - 12:53

    Recently a dog walker put a small bag of dog shit in my empty bin. It was my fault for leaving it out 2 days past collection. Not a big deal though, i just see it as getting more value out of the rates i pay to have it collected.

  • Protractor on 23/12/2024 - 13:09

    Talk to your neighbour, and also tell him that his household produces too much waste. They probably chuck all their recycling into landfill too.Hence the mega rubbish level.
    Personally for the amount of rubbish he placed in 2 other households bins, he's the AH for not asking or telling you, and still doing it. On the sly.
    Landfill sites are already hard to find, and filling too quickly as it is. Too many humans.

  • netpenthean on 23/12/2024 - 14:56
    -4

    it's a bin.. it's rubbish.. who cares

    be a good neighbour

    • Protractor on 23/12/2024 - 15:58
      +2

      Great concept. But not as great as ask first.
      Not sneak around and take it for granted

  • ihfree on 23/12/2024 - 18:43

    Go chat to them. I've had one neighbour do a similar thing without asking. I wouldn't mind if they asked and didn't leave it overflowing.

    Another neighbour who we're on for terms with has asked to borrow our green bin once or twice.

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