To think this is bad neighbour etiquette?

Not wanting to touch someone else's bin (or any bin) is odd, to be fair.

In what way is their bin less acceptable to touch than your own, out of interest? Do they smear dog shit on their handles or something?

The solution is not the internet.

It is to move the bins.

OP posted at 10:15. Problem could have been solved by 10:17.

I think its terrible neighbour etiquette to not bring in your attached neighbours bins. Not very neighbourly at all.

🤣

Put on a pair of rubber gloves, use a plastic bag over your hand or some kitchen towel and move the bins. It will take you 30 seconds and save you hours of angst over nothing. In the time it took to post here, you could have whipped them out of the way and got on with your day.

It's not them being petty.

its bothering you. You move them then wash your hands. It's a bin handle, you're not removing the contents of the bin 🙄

I have neighbours who do this yes. I also have a neighbour who takes in the bin to thr bottom of next door neighbour's garden. NDN just skirts past her bin rather than wheel it up her six steps. Weird wheelie bin phobia alert ⚠️ she deliberately walks around it to open her front door 🤦‍♀️

Never in my life have I seen such weird antics over a wheelie bin🤪🤣

So, we have 2 cars, one parked on the drive, one across it. My car is across the drive abd as a childminder I use it daily to do school runs.
Every week, without fail, the neighbours either side of us put their bins right up to my bumper at the front and back of my car. Some weeks it's 2 bins each. Why they can't put them on the other side of their driveways is a mystery. So some weeks I have 4 bins to move before I can even get in my car. I've spoken to them about it but they still do it!
Infuriating!!!!

You sound like Hyacinth Bucket 😂 You won’t move the bin because then you wouldn’t have anything to look down on your NDNs for. And YOU call THEM petty!

I suggest you text them to move their bins from the bottom of your drive, and cut poor etiquette as the reason. Then just hope and pray they’re not in hospital / sick / bereaved / undergoing life trauma.

Ridiculous. They probably just haven't noticed. They won't be doing it on purpose! Maybe they've got lots going on in their lives and bins isn't at the top of their priorities. I know I am probably guilty of this. My neighbours probably hate me as they're all retired so bring theirs in the moment the bins are emptied.

Yes!
Just move if it bothers you and wash your hands after. Do you fill up your car with petrol far more people with touch the pump or literally any door handle in public.

Sorry but the simple answer is to just love them out of the way. You can just wash your hands after, no need to be all precious about it. Ideally take their bin into their garden. Obv you know the back story/their character etc but where I live EVERYONE takes bins in for each other. Just depends who's around first.
If I'm completely honest it just sounds like you're being a bit petty.

Do you use supermarket trollies?
Use door handles in public buildings?
Escalator and stair handrails?

Move bin, wash hands.
What's the issue?

They sound like the sort of neighbour that don't notice mess, it would really annoy me. They are their bins they should put them away.

Only if they deliberately put them across your drive. Which they didn't. The bin men did

Move them. If it's a problem for you. Suck it up and move them.

How do you even know that they’re home and not away? Or maybe if they got home late/left early it was deliberate to leave them as they didn’t want the noise to disturb you. Or maybe they just haven’t thought about it. It’s not like they put them there. If you don’t want to touch their bin, which is batshit because the binmen have touched them all including yours with the same gloves, then just put a bit of kitchen roll over the handle. It really shouldn’t be something to get worked up over.

Just move them out of the way using your foot or :
Go outside and leave your door open,
take a kitchen towel in your left hand ( right if you are left handed) and put it over bin handle,
move the bin out of your drive and put it opposite neighbor’s drive,
scrunch the kitchen towel contaminated surface inside,
go back home using your free clean hand, throw away the towel and wash your hands.
Job done!

Are you sure they're even home? But honestly... you could have moved them several times in the time you've spent being annoyed.

Our bin men leave bins all over the place and if someone else's is in my way I return it to them or just move it aside.

Tbh, you sound like the problem neighbour.

Aha. As ever on MN, there are deeper issues than are apparent at first. I don’t know what to suggest, OP, a pair of arm-length rubber gloves, perhaps? A plague doctor’s outfit? Or just grit your teeth and get on with it like most of the rest of the world has to do? This is such a trivial problem to solve.

I move my neighbours every week. Takes seconds.

I hardly think they're petty. Just move the bins so they're not blocking your drive it isn't that difficult.

I think you should seek help if the thought of moving a couple of bins repulses you and if you are letting the bins take up so much headspace in your life.

No-one much likes touching them, but it's a task we have to grapple with if we have bins - like parents have to change baby nappies. I don't think anyone thinks "yippeee! Time for a nappy change."

Life is full of these tasks op.

And yes, with a busy family I do often have days where I wouldn't get round to moving them (or noticing them). Often families are out all day, rush home and have back to back tasks and no-one thinks "I'm wondering about the status of the bins."

ETA I'm not saying you have to move them if you really don't want to, but you need to accept they are still there "burning a hole in your peace of mind" because you have decided not to fix it.