To ask this woman to stop?!

Never heard of this!

We left the cooker and have left radiators out several times - we put notes on saying they can be taken. They’re on our property, not the pavement. It’s never taken more than a day or two before they’re gone.

It isn’t left on the roadside but on OP’s own drive.
Not everyone can drive or are able to get to a tip.
People make a living out of going round collecting scrap metal/old electrical equipment.

It’s common practice in some areas to leave these items outside & they are soon gone.

Perfectly normal round our way. The local scrap man (he’s a traveller, I used to teach him!) takes any metal. Clearing out idiot tenant’s rubbish the other day and one of the neighbours looked and asked to take a kid’s watering can/a lunchbox. Very happy it wasn’t going into landfill otherwise.

I took 6 carloads to the tip and was really disappointed that they couldn’t accept a glass topped table because they aren’t allowed to take glass, not even in the re-sell shop. Had to dismantle it and dispose of the glass in the hardcore skip. And no, I wasn’t going to take it home, store it somewhere, clean it up, take photos, offer it on Freecycle only for nobody to turn up.

I’d roll my eyes at her and say “Are we playing this game again… really? Someone’s coming to get it. Put it back, please.”

Op just be careful in doing this if anything they take ends up being fly tipped and can be traced to you (obviously alot can't) then you will be fined and council won't care that you just left it outside you will be charged for the disposable of it.

Over-reaction…

Snowpatrolling · Today 10:22

Just tell her to stop touching your stuff that’s on your property and the next time she knocks your door you will call the police as she is clearly harassing you. Say this is her warning that she steps foot on your property she is trespassing and you will also defend your home by any means necessary.

WTAF?! 😂

I guess I have a very central London perspective. The waste left after the scrappers have taken what they want doesn’t hurt animals here and the waste left behind if swiftly removed. With less going to landfill.

Not where I am, but perhaps in other areas. I can understand once or twice a year leaving something outside with a note on saying 'free' but regularly leaving things out, even if on your own property in the hope that someone else will take it is just fly-tipping. You don't know what will happen to the stuff once it's taken away, particularly if it's broken stuff, or items containing materials that need to be responsibly recycled.
Whilst it can be difficult to get to a tip nowadays (certainly in my area) it's better to dispose of unwanted and broken items through the correct channels.

better to dispose of unwanted and broken items through the correct channels.

The correct channel for me would be paying the council to collect and dispose and it's still left at the bottom of the property highly visible for collection - and I expect the woman OP is encountering would still have a problem with that.

Well, given you have a responsibility to ensure that anything you dispose of isn't fly tipped, it would probably be better to dispose of unwanted things via the tip, local authority collection or collection by a registered disposal company. Then you can be sure your rubbish isn't ending up on some random beauty spot.

Like pp, I'm puzzled about how these incidences with this woman could be happening on a regular basis.

How many times a year are you needing to dispose of such things OP?

I'm amazed at people who don't have the faintest idea what a tat man could be - especially in the context of this thread.

We're also getting some peak MN responses from people who believe that the only 'correct' way to do something is the way that they choose to do it.

Some people are harumphing about calling the council to uplift waste, just because it costs money and thus 'seems the right thing to do'. What's the point calling out and paying the council to take something that you have to drag to the end of your drive - so it still sits there for a little while offending neighbours with nothing else to worry about - and then tat men come and take it before the council come on a wasted trip anyway? And that's if you can afford the council uplift cost, that not everybody can.

Not everybody has a vehicle to take rubbish to the tip - or the rubbish is dirty and will mess up their car and/or they aren't strong enough to lift it in. A lot of tips are very restrictive in opening times or what they take. Charity shops and re-use charities can be difficult to get to, or very picky about what stuff they will take.

As for those saying that they don't believe this has been a tradition for a very long time, just because it hasn't been in their area - or at least not that they've noticed - don't you realise that this is a very simple, environmentally-friendly way of moving goods from people who no longer need or want them to people who can use them, keeping them out of landfill?

I'm also bemused at the fact that MN is usually so very 'anti-clutter' that you're a hoarder if you keep your baby's hospital identity bracelet or your deceased Grandma's wedding ring - but when people regularly clear stuff out and leave it for people who can make use of it and will take it away quickly, you're still in the wrong!

Neither do we, but everytime I've put something out, it's gone the same day. I suspect someone on our street contacts the scrap man.
A dryer lasted 20 minutes once, an old cooker 30 mins. The enamrl, green bath tub though, nope, we had to take that ourselves.

She’s not putting a washing machine out every few weeks 😂

As per a pp, I used to live in Bristol, in a VERY middle class area - very normal to put unwanted items on your front wall at the weekends for people to take - and quite a sociable activity going around doing just that. And no, our tip did not have an area to help yourself. It’s called recycling and was seen as a positive thing, so very socially responsible!

I disagree with you, and so do many others. It wouldn't occur to me to help myself to something left at the bottom of someone's drive.

I cannot understand why it is beyond your comprehension that a lot of people think like I do and just wouldn't take things from other people's property.

Just put a sign saying "Free". It isn't difficult.

We don't have a "tat man" round here, but if you want scrap metal taking away people put a post up on Facebook.

I am clearing out our loft and going to put a "free to a good home" on Facbeook later for stuff I don't want, but is in perfectly good condition.

It’s a passive-aggressive way of telling you she doesn’t like you leaving stuff on your drive. While I wouldn’t like a neighbour doing this, I’d be so pissed off with this woman’s behaviour, I’d be leaving stuff out there every other day, just to get on her nerves.

I think there's a good chance this woman is lonely and this is a way of having a conversation with someone.

If you don't want to talk to her, just stop answering the front door when she knocks.

round here the registered (licenced) disposal company IS the tat man

Oh, it's weird behaviour, no question.

Just wondered if she was a bit of a 'Mrs Bucket'.

Ah ok.

V much agree with @Simonjt, OP.
Sorry if that’s not what you want to hear.

If she knocks again say something like “oh [big sigh] it’s you again, look you really need to stop knocking on my door, I sometimes leave things out for the scrap man, if someone does leave something on my drive without me knowing I’ll find it next time I go out, now piss off”