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

    • nobro25 on 24/12/2024 - 20:55
      +3

      Neighbours proceeds to put the rubbish on OP and closes the bin lid for good measure.

      • ozpat on 26/12/2024 - 07:47

        LOL :-)

  • OBEY YOUR MASTERS on 24/12/2024 - 07:39
    +3

    If you put your bin out for collection and somebody uses the extra room in your bin then why would you care about that?

  • afah0447 on 24/12/2024 - 08:16
    +1

    Why does this annoy people? Would you rather they throw the rubbish on the ground outside yiur house?

    • kiitos on 24/12/2024 - 09:56
      +1

      That's a false dichotomy.

    • smartazz104 on 27/12/2024 - 00:30
      +2

      No, we’d rather that they use their own bins.

  • Morphio25 on 24/12/2024 - 08:24
    +4

    I'm 100% against bin sharing and here's why. We've got a 2 year old and so for the last 2 years we've been putting literal bags of human shit (i.e. dirty nappies) in our bin. Just yesterday I attempted to pressure wash and disinfect our bin but it still smells like ass. Now ask yourself this question, knowing how bad the smell of dirty nappies leaves a bin, would you be happy, as my neighbour, allowing me to use your bin?

    • AnophthalmiaCervidae on 24/12/2024 - 09:18
      +2

      If you keep the dirty nappies for your own bin and put a bag of non-smelly trash in mine, not a problem.

    • HelpMeiCantSee on 24/12/2024 - 13:41
      -3

      If you were out of space in your bin, sure. Heaps of bigger problems to worry about when raising kids than having to worry about what to do with shitty nappies.

      Bins are for rubbish, who cares is stinky struggling goes in now and then- wash it out if it’s a problem, or wash the neighbours bin out for them if you stank it out.

    • ProlapsedHeinous on 24/12/2024 - 14:05
      -1

      yes, still don't care. its a bin. If they poured motor oil directly into it then maybe it would be time for a chat, but otherwise I think its fair game.

  • drfuzzy on 24/12/2024 - 08:53
    -1

    If he shares your bin it is a free pass to share his wife

  • SuperMid on 24/12/2024 - 09:06
    -6

    Ozbargain a bunch of simps saying its ok for your neighbor to fill your bin and just be ok with it. Grow a pair.

    • mapax on 24/12/2024 - 09:27
      +3

      I wonder how many of them would change their mind if I started putting half eaten rabbit carcasses in their bins? Perhaps they’d prefer cooked pigs heads?

      • HelpMeiCantSee on 24/12/2024 - 13:39

        If it goes in on bin day, who cares.

      • binagran on 27/12/2024 - 23:02

        Just make sure you put it in the FOGO bin

    • borrisz0r on 24/12/2024 - 10:57
      +1

      I don't think it's to do with confrontation, it's more… Is this a hill worth dying on?

      I'm all for a spat with the neighbours, but not over using my bin, provides it's not overflowing

    • Purp on 24/12/2024 - 12:24

      You're not using the word simp correctly, boomer.

    • OBEY YOUR MASTERS on 24/12/2024 - 12:58
      +2

      I remember a time when neighbors were friends with each other. There were BBQs. There were beers. There were masterminds on how best to fix a 2 stroke mower.

      What the hell has happened to this country?

      • Daabido on 26/12/2024 - 20:55
        +2

        It was certainly better in the 70s and 80s, up to a point.

  • us3rnam3tak3n on 24/12/2024 - 11:05
    +2

    Try reducing your waste to half of the bin's capacity and put it out full every fortnight.

  • Buckshot on 24/12/2024 - 11:40
    +3

    How about this- use a bit of reverse psychology;

    Go and introduce yourself, let them know you're here to help (if you're prepared to).
    Following week, go knock on the door, mention you've got a lot of rubbish this week and if they have room on bin night, if you could use their bin? Make it explicitly clear that you're checking if they have space…on bin night.

    If they have half a clue, they'll pick it up.

    Yes, it's a roundabout way of doing it but you also win if they're cool with you using their bin, and I'd say they'll be okay.

    • HelpMeiCantSee on 24/12/2024 - 13:38
      +2

      This is a perfectly reasonable approach.

  • smartazz104 on 24/12/2024 - 11:52
    +1

    Ask your council for a smaller bin

    • OBEY YOUR MASTERS on 24/12/2024 - 13:01
      +4

      Dont encourage them! (The council that is)

  • HelpMeiCantSee on 24/12/2024 - 13:37
    +1

    Be decent and let them- who cares, you said yourself you rarely fill the bin, what’s the problem?

    My neighbours all use each others bins on bin day without isssue- we each clean up at different times of the year, so each of us end up using another’s bins occasionally. I think it’s neighbourly and just generally kind sharing unused space.

    I’ll never understand why this would or could ever be an issue…

    • Buckshot on 24/12/2024 - 15:28
      +1

      My take- Something changed in after the 90's and 00's.
      I've usually had great Neighbours wherever I've been, and only experienced one genuinely bad (in a weird way) that didn't seem to pick up on any of the hints about their actions (they had a surveillance camera pointing directly into our living space).
      Presently, I've got great relationships with Neighbours up and down our street, particularly in our immediate vicinity. We even have a WhatsApp group to help each other and keep an eye out if we spot someone sus… which isn't unusual in inner-city suburbs.

      I think we've become more insular on the whole. We don't introduce ourselves as much anymore, we live on our phones and interact with people on our phones therefore we're less likely to engage socially with our Neighbours. I also think we are on the whole less trusting as a society, in part thanks to the 24 hours new cycle that preys on our fears.
      If we all took that step of saying "Hi" and introduce ourselves to our Neighbours, these complaints on OzB could be a thing of the past.

      • HelpMeiCantSee on 29/12/2024 - 17:44
        +1

        Totally agree with you. It’s sad, for me it was 2007 that I noticed it, but I still carry on like it’s 1995, and generally that works well (I don’t live in major cities any more). The further away from cities, the more friendly you can be with neighbours.

        Even most of my street is the same- we all take each others kids to the skate park, or swim or whatever.

        Ive never liked knocking on doors to introduce myself, but have never needed to because I say hi and go from there when I see someone. Not driving like a maniac helps, as does living on a no thru road

  • digitalbath on 24/12/2024 - 15:32
    +1

    How about talking to your neighbour!?

    • Protractor on 24/12/2024 - 21:05

      How about the opposite?

      • digitalbath on 25/12/2024 - 07:11

        Can do that too, and then just whine about it to randoms on the internet.

  • AustriaBargain on 24/12/2024 - 16:12

    How would you feel if you noticed your neighbour taking some stuff out of your bin and putting it in his bin on bin night-eve?

  • Kiro on 24/12/2024 - 16:14
    +1

    I had a stupid neighbour that did it even after multiple calls to their front door to tell them to stop it.

    Decided to dump their rubbish on their front door, ala open bin bag style. He wanted to throw a few punches but I had to remind him of the situation and if goes down that route I can call the council and complain about the illegal extension to his house.

    Never did it again and never spoke to me again which was great.

    • jackspratt on 24/12/2024 - 16:40

      Your neighbour has my utmost sympathy.

      • Kiro on 24/12/2024 - 17:05
        +1

        When he dumps asbestos into your bin and the council hits you up….. This shit gets real quick

        • jackspratt on 25/12/2024 - 13:03
          +1

          When was asbestos introduced into the topic?

          Had the OP - and you - mentioned asbestos dumping, I'm sure there would have been a totally different reaction.

          • Kiro on 25/12/2024 - 18:39
            +1

            @jackspratt: I didn't mention it at the start but did it once, I flew off the rail and wanted to murder him.
            Wife interjected and we called council and there wasn't much anyone can do once the bin goes to the curb unless we had CCTV to catch him red handed.

            I did monitor bin use and found that post asbestos dump he was still throwing rubbish in our bin until I gave him his rubbish back.

            I don't understand why people do this, if he did ask every now and then, I would have been happy to help out but behind your back and especially throwing asbestos in our bin was the final straw. Him not talking was a breathe of fresh air TBH.

      • Protractor on 24/12/2024 - 21:08

        Give him your 'utmost address' and perhaps a little room in your bin then.

        • jackspratt on 25/12/2024 - 13:05

          'utmost address'

          ?

        • Kiro on 25/12/2024 - 18:39

          Maybe he can pay council rates pro rata then

  • THICKnSLOW on 24/12/2024 - 16:48

    Hide in the bin until your neighbour tries to dump their junk in yours, and give them a scare of their life hahaha, Happy Christmas!

  • drprox on 24/12/2024 - 19:42

    As others have said. Sharing bins is fine but not overflowing…

  • George2021 on 24/12/2024 - 20:14

    How petty have people become.

  • brad1-8tsi on 24/12/2024 - 20:52
    -1

    Why does it matter? You get charged the same if your bin is full or empty.

  • nobro25 on 24/12/2024 - 20:57
    -1

    OP you forgot to charge all the biological life rent for using your garden without your permission.

  • LFO on 24/12/2024 - 21:30
    -4

    my opportunist neighbour is using my rubbish bin

    My opportunist neighbour is using my ocean views.

    :-|

    • Protractor on 25/12/2024 - 10:56
      +1

      Good point. The ocean is an alternative rubbish tip.

      • LFO on 25/12/2024 - 13:32

        Exactly, and my opportunist neighbour is using my alternative rubbish tip views.

  • OzzyOzbourne on 24/12/2024 - 23:17

    Happened to me once, my neighbour put some green waste in my bin in bags and it was overflowing. I was worried it might not be taken so tried to push the bags down and they were full of rose bush cuttings. Ouch!

  • 82norm on 25/12/2024 - 04:03
    +1

    Once the bin is on the nature strip, it’s fair game.

    • smartazz104 on 27/12/2024 - 00:33
      -1

      Ok now post your home address.

  • SuperLate on 25/12/2024 - 11:22
    -1

    You should be happy that there's less rubbish and smell in the environment around your home. You're helping creating a clean atmosphere around your home for everyone living there including for you and your partner. It would be worse to let that smell go down your lungs for another week.

    • Protractor on 25/12/2024 - 20:04
      +2

      Wrong end of stick. The neighbour is producing too much waste. And frankly if he wants to do that let him wear the smell , then other neighbours can get the council to sort him out. ergo, bigger or extra bin at his own expense. He lost the right to access the moment he never asked first.

  • Counter Intelligence on 25/12/2024 - 11:38
    +1

    It's that time of the year again when neighbours start using other people's bins.

    First world problems, always the same each year in Chatswood.

  • Rizzler on 25/12/2024 - 14:29
    -1

    Get one up on your neighbor and bang his wife…..

    • Protractor on 25/12/2024 - 20:02

      In the his pristine bin

  • tessel on 25/12/2024 - 16:15
    +5

    People should not use other bins unless they have asked. (profanity) blows my mind people think it's ok to use other bins without asking. "Oh, it's gonna get emptied anyway" or "It's not your bin and it's on public property". Ok, then when the rubbish truck is gone and "your" bin which is still on "public property", I'll fill it up with rubbish. That's cool, isn't it? Keep your (profanity) rubbish in your own bin.

    • Counter Intelligence on 25/12/2024 - 16:58
      +2

      Yeah, also if it's overfilled the garbo might not empty the bin…

      This is a problem I faced because they can only do one run until the truck is full, and when it's getting full they have to selectively choose which bins not to empty, and if yours is overfilled because of your neighbour, then they are within their rights not to empty yours…

      Then you need to go online and fill out the form or if you are old school, call the council…

  • meowbert on 25/12/2024 - 20:42
    +1

    Hi OP, I've had this before where a neighbour was dumping their amazon junk and used nappies not in the bin, but next to it. I circled the address and dumped it on their doorstep, didn't have a problem after that.

  • drfuzzy on 26/12/2024 - 09:16

    Mention that your family is recovering from a serious cholera outbreak, and that the council won't provide medical waste bins for incineration of all the towels and infected waste you are creating so you have to chance infecting others using the regular bin.

  • trev likes bargains on 26/12/2024 - 10:56
    +2

    Fill your bin to its maximum capacity every week. Problem solved.

  • neosin on 26/12/2024 - 15:38
    +1

    We had the same problem as OP, the only solution is to put the bin out really late at night, so the sneaky bin users will have already dumped their garbage in someone else's bin or wake up early 6am before the trucks come that day!

    We just choose option 1 and haven't had many rubbish tossers since

  • drspy00 on 26/12/2024 - 16:05

    Only reason I could see this would annoy people if they are throwing rotting stuff in, without being in a bag and then makes your bin smell. Or stuff you arent meant to throw out like asbestos and lithium batteries, otherwise why care? Especially this time of the year. A one off event is nothing, and some people have one small bag with a nearly empty bin. Why not use it up instead of deploying more resources, potentially dumping the rubbish or calling in a council cleanup thats uneccessary?

  • jackspratt on 26/12/2024 - 16:30
    +1

    I would guess that many of the complainers here would also be those who take offence when someone has the gall to park their car on the street in front of the complainer's house.

    • smartazz104 on 27/12/2024 - 00:36

      The OP mentioned overflowing the bin, so it’s more like if someone parked in front of your house and half blocked your driveway.

      • jackspratt on 27/12/2024 - 03:07

        The OP didn't mention that the council hadn't emptied his bin - which would be more akin to your analogy.

  • Oofy Doofy on 26/12/2024 - 16:50

    I must be one of the few who dump home trash bags in council bins or shopping centre carpark bins.

    Gives me one less bin to worry about.

    I barely have a bag of rubbish per week, as i aim to live in a way that produces as little rubbish as possible, day to day.

    • smartazz104 on 27/12/2024 - 00:35
      +1

      Should teach your ways to OP’s neighbour.

    • drspy00 on 27/12/2024 - 12:53
      +1

      But theres other people who do this, and it costs businesses who need to pay for them to be emptied. Many dumpsters are only emptied once a week so it will sit for days. Fine if you know they're emptied regularly and don't overfill, then its just using a resource and not abusing it.

  • BargainBobcat on 26/12/2024 - 20:13

    Hmm, perhaps prawn heads would do the trick. On the other hand, you should be working together to make sure both bins are full as you are both paying for it.

  • gstfree on 27/12/2024 - 12:51
    +1

    Normally I pack my rubbish carefully and my bin is free from smells. I came across one neighbour always dump not well packed rubbish in my bin. Also another occation rubbish dumped to yellow recycle bin.

  • Amazingly on 05/01/2025 - 12:37

    Our neighbour would "accidentally" take our bin yet they live adjacent to us. I got some big numbers from eBay and stuck our street number onto our bins.

    They also had a few extra bins and they'd put them on our side of the road. No idea what they were thinking but I'd drag them back to their side of the street. They stopped it.

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