To think our neighbors have swapped them while we were out?

[Stigofthedump90]

I’m not sure if I’m being paranoid or not but I’m really upset.

We have had our current NDN (terraced) for about a year and they are really scruffy. Our front gardens don’t have a boundary, and they leave their bins at the end of them full time. Can’t really do much about this, but the thing is, they don’t always put stuff in black bags. I’ve seen the sons just lift the lid when they are off out and put food wrappers etc straight into the bin. It does get annoying especially when they leave the lid up and wind blows their crap all over our garden and path. I do just generally grit my teeth and move it though because I don’t want to confront them and have a falling out.

Today was bin day so I wheeled ours out before I went to work. When I got home and went to put them back, I noticed that the black one really really stank. So I lifted the lid and there was a load of loose rubbish at the bottom, with food wrappers of things we don’t eat and a whole Tupperware container that looks still to be dirty with food. There are maggots all over everything and it’s jusy disgusting. It made me gag. But the the bin has our number sticker on! I feel like I’m going mad because it certainly wasn’t in that state this morning.

I feel like I can’t go round though because they will just deny it and I have no proof - it looks like our bin! Is it unreasonable to ask them if they’ve swapped them around?!

I don’t want to have to clean it and keep the waste for another two weeks until bin day again. They obviously didn’t accept the stuff that wasn’t in a bin bag. I can’t even get to close to it it’s so horrible.

I have NO idea what the reasonable course of action would be here! Does anyone have any advice?

[OhioOhioOhio]

You just have to clean it. And buy more stickers to decorate your bin. I'd be annoyed too.

[Bankofenglandfiver]

It’s a shame but I think you’ll have to just clean the bin - you’ll never be able to prove it.

And get a bin lock so they can’t swap them again (because yours will be locked).

[BendydickCuminsnatch]

Use the most powerful setting on a hose to blast the gross stuck on stuff off. Be the bigger person and just rise above!

[Stigofthedump90]

The thought of putting my hands in there is physically making me wretch

[BlessedFox]

Oh dear OP, seems like your neighbours have swapped them.

Unfortunately there’s no proof so you can’t do much about it other than put raw prawns in what used to be your bin

[Mustbetimeforachange]

It's possible the bin men swapped them, ours have done that. Just wash it out & put stickers with your house number on.

[Stigofthedump90]

@Mustbetimeforachange

Ours does have a sticker on

I just think they’ve taken it off ours and put it in theirs and swapped them

If it just smelt bad I’d probably accept it. But it’s the food wrappers for things we literally do not buy and Tupperware that doesn’t belong to us.

I take the rubbish out and I always black bin bag things, tied up so I know I couldn’t have got it in that state. It’s teuly vile.

[SosigDog]

Why not just swap them back?

[Fannybaws52]

Swap them back! This time paint your number on inner lid though.

[QuestionableMouse]

I think it's more likely they've been using both bins.

Put a big glug of bleach in then a couple kettles of boiling water. Leave it overnight and it should kill the maggots and get rid of some of the smell!

[TixieLix]

So are we to assume they haven't left 'their' bins at the end of their front garden then so you can swap it back? Do the stickers seem as though they've been removed from one bin and put on the other?

If you can't swap back then you may have to rise above and clean it out. Dump a load of bleach in first to deal with the maggots, rubber gloves on and use a hose to spray what you can out. Once it's done, as well as stickers, mark the bin more permanently - maybe scratch something on the lid so that there can be no denying it's yours.

[Lovenhugsfo]

YANBU. If you don’t want to go around and ask them about it. I’d wait until it was very early morning or late night and swap them around again and mark your bin in a way that they won’t know you’ve marked it, like write in permanent marker under the lid or something.

[Hahaha88]

I would have thought the stickers wouldn't have pulled off and restuck on a different bin? 🤔

[LostInShoebiz]

You’ll get someone along in a minute to lecture you on the wrongs of killing poor defenceless maggots inhumanely.

[eddielizzard]

Surely you can tell whether the sticker has been tampered with? If it has, I'd swap it back and paint all over it.

[mumwon]

Go round neighbours house - smile - silly rubbish bin men have got our bins mixed could I have our bin back & heres yours! smile again

[KaterinaPetrova]

Wouldn't it be obvious that the stickers have been moved? Are you positive that your own bag on the bottom hasn't split and mucked up your bin?

Just chuck a bucket of really hot soapy water in, roll the bin back and forth a bit to swish it up and tip it out at a road drain if there's one nearby (I know there's rules about what you can let go down public drains but needs must in this instance)

[EarlyWarning]

You need a bin fairy to deal with this. Do you have a DP with a strong stomach,OP?

[Bringbackthestripes]

Three choices.

Knock and ask but if they say no then what? It could also be the start of neighbour wars because the type of people to swap you number to Knick your bin are not exactly play fair are they?

Get a little pot of paint, swap your bin back under the cover of darkness, swap your sticker back then PAINT your number so they can’t swap it again.

Or throw a load of bleach in it along with a bucket of water. Leave overnight then tip it out and accept your neighbours are awful. If you have the nerve knock and offer them their Tupperware back so they know YOU know.

[pourmeanotherglass]

Swap them back, then paint the number on yours white white wall paint.

[Flaverings]

It sounds as though the binmen behaviour is very different around yours to how they are around here.

[NuclearReactor]

If the sticker has been swapped there might be a faded outline of your sticker on your suspected actual bin. Try have a look and take a picture if possible!

That's really weird if they have went to that effort of changing bins!

[MammaMia19]

I agree with pp that it's more likely they've been using your bin as well as theirs!

[MyFamilyAndOtherAnimals1]

I can not believe someone would suggest boiling & bleaching poor defenceless maggots? Can you not see how cruel that would be?!