Neighbour being cheeky? Or AIBU?

@Blouson

https://torridge.gov.uk/article/20282/Refuse

They really are very, very strict about it. God forbid you accidentally put the wrong thing in the wrong recycling bin as well.

This. Or maybe ask him for a favour and see what his response is. If it's positive I'd leave the bin issue as juat being neighbourly.

It wouldnt bother me tbh especially as he only mows his lawn once every 1/2 months.

But, if it bothers you then just say no.

Show me a link to the council page where it tells you it's forbidden. Councils are careful to point you to buying their garden waste service but that doesnt mean its against their rules to put grass in the normal bins (as long as its in line with the rules e.g. bagged)

@Blouson - the council here won't empty my normal bin if it has garden waste in it. They're super strict about what goes in what bin.

I'd ask him to wait until the day it gets collected (not day before, the day of) and tell him if it's not full then he can (but only then). Tell him you'll likely fill it up soon or something if you're worried

He'd be cheeky if he did it without asking. As it is, he always asks and you always say yes so he's doing nothing wrong. Next time say no if that's how you feel.

@Blouson

maybe that depends where you live!! It is here and at family/friends who live in different council areas.

Course it can be. It's not contravening any rules.

@Blouson

garden waste should NOT be put in the normal waste.

so what if he's getting it removed for free. OP is paying £60 for a YEAR no matter how full it is, it's not costing her anymore than it would if he didn't!!

I would suggest splitting the cost. One of my neighbours - no idea who - puts their spent flower bouquets in my green bin. I'd rather they asked, of course, but it doesn't take up much space. However if they started leaving a lot of waste in my green bin, I'd expect a contribution. In my case, the bin goes out the day before collection and I can't see it from my house so it's hard to work out who the offender is.

Off on a tangent but why don't you compost your garden waste (and his grass cuttings)?

I'd let it go knowing that you could call in a favour at some point. You don't want it to get that he won't take in packages.

Any bottle of wine for £2.50 is not something I'd drink!

He's taking liberties though. Getting a paid-for service for free. Why cant he just stick his grass in his normal waste bin.

Go to him at the end of the year, when the renewal is due. Suggest you take it year about to pay for the bin as you both use it, and it would save you each paying for a bin.

@Motheringthrough

bloody hell - seriously?!?!

it's a little more than £1 per week. Your bin is only 1/2 -3/4 full.

so your only problem is that you're paying for his grass clippings to be disposed of & saving him the effort of going to the tip?

really? You begrudge someone using up a bit of space in your bin?

I really don't get this miserable attitude to life.
thankfully.

I don't think there is a right or wrong because everyone is different. In your case it clearly bothers you, but as others have posted they'd be absolutely fine with it. Where I work the chap next door pays for his bin to be emptied and often comes round to everybody in the other units encouraging us to all fill the bin as much as we can. He wants the bin as full as he can as he's paying for it to be taken away, but won't accept anything in return for us using the bin.

If your bin wouldn't be full anyway, he's taking nothing from you and not costing you anything - you're paying £60 no matter how full the bin is. You're not paying anything extra for his waste to be in it.
If your bin would be full and he's stopping you putting stuff in it then just say no - sorry I'm planning on doing xyz later and don't think the cuttings will fit in with your grass too.

If he wasn't asking you, then to be honest he could just be putting them into the bin after you'd put it out but before it was collected and you'd be none the wiser.
Honestly, if you're not using the bin space, there's no reason to say no to this. You can also work it to your advance and ask to put stuff into their recycling or household waste when yours is full.

Yeah he's being cheeky. I'd maybe joke next time and tell him he owes you a bottle of wine a month to cover his half of the service charge.

My old neighbour used to occasionally use our garden bin - we had one each but hers was typically full because she had a big garden and did more in it than me. I never minded because I had space and she was always nice about asking.

If it really bothers you, next time he asks just say sorry Kevin, I'm planning to do XYZ and need the space in the bin, so you'll have to go to the tip.

If it's not taking up space that you need then I see no issue and would happily do it in the interests of neighbourly relations.
As an aside, as a keen gardener - why are you not putting the grass clippings in your compost bin? They are perfect for getting the balance right in the green v brown ratio.

Why would he drive to the tip? It's just grass like any other waste he can chuck it in his normal bin.

Yes, he's being cheeky. He's avoiding the cost of getting his own green bin and the hassle of taking his waste to the tip. I personally would be too embarrassed to use a neighbour's "paid for" bin without offering some kind of contribution. I think he should at least buy you an occasional bottle of wine or some flowers, that's just good manners and a recognition of your good nature.

I am usually on high alert for CF behaviour but I'd say that this doesn't quite cross over the line for me. Partly because it's not that often (and HOW is he only mowing his lawn once every few months? or is he taking it to the skip in bweteen and just asking you sometimes?) and partly because he does always ask which means if there was ever a genuine reason to say no - you've been doing the pruning and the bin is now completely full for example - you can.

Do you feel he would/could do you a favour if necessary? eg around here we (not really we. In reality it's the local men and I still don't know how we've got such a gender stereotype going on but I'm just embracing it) have a recipricol arrangement with various neighbours and there's always someone to take in/out someone else's bins when they're away/ill etc. The bin men always leave the bins in centralised spot and I notice a different man brings them back round to everyone every week (I assume they have some sort of informal roster? I have no idea). Ditto garden watering, post retrieval etc.

On which basis, that would be another reason I wouldn't mind someone using any excess space in my garden bin.