AIBU over bin rage?

[PrincessFiorimonde]

I live in a house that's divided into 3 flats.

We have 4 wheelie bins outside - 2 black wheelies that are designated for household rubbish (put your rubbish in there in black bags), and 2 green wheelies that are designated for recycling (put your paper/cardboard/milk cartons/cans in there - NOT in black bags - just put them in loose).

A new family has recently moved in to the basement flat.

Since then, black bags have appeared in green wheelies (BUT those bins should just take loose stuff for recycling). And stray bits of cardboard have appeared in black wheelies (BUT those bins should be for household rubbish wrapped in black bags).

The bin collectors have refused to take away rubbish left in wrong bins. They have left notes to say wrong things have been left in the different coloured bins.

Because I am anal don't want to argue with the bin collectors, I have moved stuff from one bin to the other (even when household stuff was a bit smelly) to make sure the bloody stuff was taken away. I have also taped notes on to the various bins explaining 'This is for household rubbish; please put stuff in black bags'; and 'This is for recycling; please put stuff in loose; please don't use black bags'.

But stuff is still being put in the wrong bins.

I don't want to fall out with my new basement neighbours (seem to be nice people; and I really hate an argument), but I am a bit fed up with this.

SORRY this is long! Just venting here, you know!

I'm daft not to speak to the neighbour, aren't I? I just hate a row an argument.

maybe they dont know, just mention it, no need to get in an argument over it

oh dear. I think you may need to talk nicely to them.
I would bother saying, at this point, that you have been trying to fix/sort the problem.
Just that the bin men won't collect if it is not correct, and that is no mere threat but that they Seriously won't.

The people doing it might not be able to read or might not speak/read english well. I would try talking to them. If you're not sure who it is you would have to open the bags and rummage for evidence.......

sorry, I wouldn't bother saying that you have been sorting it.

I couldn't share a bin

I might have a bad dream about people putting stuff in my nice clean recycling bin after reading this thread.

It is like a horror story!

YANBU.

Set fire to their heads.

Just go and talk to them, if you don't go in a confrontational way then it won't be an argument just explain it to them and keep smiling and then they can hardly take offense. I'm sure they dont want the bin men to just leave all the rubbish either, so you are doing them a favour by explaining

Just tell them.

If that doesn't work, your Council will have the equivalent of a 'waste education' person who will come round and talk to them.

Otherwise tell your landlord/freeholder that the bins aren't getting emptied, and why.

Just shit in on their doorstep YANBU

You should speak to them. They may not read the notes, or they may send their children out to put the rubbish in the bin, so haven't even realised there are notes.

Also, where I live, the colours are reversed (green bin for rubbish, black for recycling) so it may be a very genuine error based on previous experience.

Talk to them, hopefully they'll appreciate it rather than attack you. Good luck.

Do they maybe not speak/read English too well and there for the confusion????

Maybe put a note through their door? Or could you be taking something to the bin the same time they do and have a chat????

Oh I love hearing how weird other peoples bins are! We have black for rubbish, blue for recycling and green for garden! In the next town from us BIL has 2 wheelie bins, rubbish and garden, and they have 3 tubs, 1 for glass, 1 for paper and 1 for cans and tins. That's all they can recycle!

WRT your problem I would have to talk to them about it. You can't be sorting out the rubbish constantly!

My dses sometimes put things in the wrong bins - with the added complication that we have a brown bin for garden waste as well as a blue one for recycling and black ones for ordinary rubbish. As per Nagoo's advice, the next time one of them does it, I will set fire to their head. Firm but fair, I feel!

Yes, I know I should just tell them. But I'm a bit of a wuss and they might shout at me.

Nagoo, yes, probably I should just set fire to their heads!

But Ants, you may be right about the children. And about the possibility that they've lived somewhere else where the colours are reversed.

Thanks for all comments.

It might be a good intro to getting to know them, if you approach it in a good way?

It's a shame that you assume that they'll be negative or hostile.

You never know, you could have a chat and they may be really embarrassed they've been getting it wrong!

My bins are the other way round green is household waste and black is recycling. Maybe where they mover from was this way round too. Have a word with them to check.