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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

The bin men

72 replies

FunkyBarnYardBroom · 09/05/2014 15:37

So AIBU?

Every week on bin day I put the bins out at 7am ready for them to collect. I pop them nearly to the side of the pavement against my fence so as not to obstruct the pavement.

I go to work.

Every time I come back they are blocking the pavement and the access to be drive. I live on a sharp bend and road parking isn't an option as the opposite houses don't have drives and park the length of the street on that side. Luckily not many cars go up and down my street and I haven't had anyone freak out at me for blocking the road temporarily!

So I have to block the road each time get out shove them to the side. Park and then take them off the pavement.

Am I asking too much that not only are my bins placed out the way of my drive. But they congregate a couple of the neighbours bins there too!

Is this normal on bin collection day?!

OP posts:

ThatBloodyWoman · 09/05/2014 15:41

There is a lot of pressure on binmen to get a lot done with less people nowadays.

A polite phone call, explaining the difficulty would be worth it.

Zingy123 · 09/05/2014 15:44

Normal here, mine ends up a few blocks away. Our council sent us a leaflet detailing how to place your bin for collection. Our local paper has been full of letters saying the bin men should follow the same rules.

badfurday · 09/05/2014 15:45

I feel you pain.
They are fuckers.
I went out on Tuesday with my newborn baby, pissing it down with rain. Bin men stopped in front of my drive way just as I had put the baby in the car and clearly saw me. Got into car, started engine, politely waited for them to collect my rubbish etc, they leave the bin right in front of my car, thanks twat! Had to get out to move it out the way.

They always leave the bins all over the bloody place. I agree, is it really that hard to put them back in the correct place? Ironically if I leave my bin slightly further into my driveway they won't collect it as it's not in the right place!

PoundingTheStreets · 09/05/2014 15:45

They do this to my bins too. I drove behind one yesterday and they quite literally flung the recycling box back towards the vicinity of the gate from which they'd collected it.

Can't say it's bothering me enough to go to the lengths of making a phone call about it as they only collect fortnightly but I appreciate your frustration.

ThatBloodyWoman · 09/05/2014 15:46

I mistakenly wrote binmen rather than the gender neutral refuse collectors.
There are a number of binwomen too.

Remember people like refuse collectors have been on pay freezes for years now, with a reduction in staffing, and often a lot of wrangling over eroded terms and conditions.

They get a lot of undeserved flack.

AnyFucker · 09/05/2014 16:00

Yep, same here. Every. Fucking. Time.

I put it down to the year we pretended we were not in when they knocked for a xmas tip

tripecity · 09/05/2014 16:07

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

BolshierAyraStark · 09/05/2014 16:21

Same here-annoys the fuck out of me, how hard can it be not to put them in the middle of the path over the drive?

ChaosTrulyReigns · 09/05/2014 16:37

Christmas Tip?

Where do you live, AnyF? The Seventies?

AnyFucker · 09/05/2014 17:30

It was a while ago, chaos

That is how long my Binmen have hated me

LividofLondon · 09/05/2014 17:35

I have a wheelie bin and they never think to close the lid after taking the bags out. Consequently, when it's raining, the water collects in the bottom. Nice. How hard is is to flip the bloody lid back?! I know it's minor but it's irritating that they can't use a little common sense.

ChaosTrulyReigns · 09/05/2014 17:36

I knew it!

WorraLiberty · 09/05/2014 17:39

Our refuse collectors still knock for a Christmas tip - the cheeky fuckers.

The problem we have with them is their refusal to simply flick the lids of the bins closed.

Not only do they fill up with rain but it's obvious some houses are empty all day, because otherwise the owners would nip out and close them.

Neighbourhood watch have repeatedly contacted the council about it, but still they don't flick them shut

WorraLiberty · 09/05/2014 17:40

X posted with Livido

SpottyTeacakes · 09/05/2014 17:45

Ours are really good even if we forget to put the bin out all the time they come through the gate and down the path to get it.

Op that would annoy me

Yoruba · 09/05/2014 17:50

YANBU, but in defense of bin men in general mine are brilliant. I always occasionally forget to put our bin out until I see them drive past. We live just before the end of a close and if I wave as I take it out after they've gone past they'll collect it on their way back.

Soupqueen · 09/05/2014 17:54

It takes me twice as long to get anywhere with the pram on bin day.

At least I can park the pram and haul the buggers out of the middle of the pavement, I don't know how people in wheelchairs cope.

MissMooMoo · 09/05/2014 17:55

we got a letter recently saying bins had to be off the pavement by such and such a time or we would be getting a fine.
our bin collectors seemed to have taken our bins out of our front paved area (im not sure how to describe this, we live in london and have the bins in a paved area on our property in front of our house off the public walking path)
anyways they then left them on the pavement!!! we were away on holiday and are currently fighting the fine.
it is so annoying!

parakeet · 09/05/2014 18:03

In their defence, ours come and collect our wheelie bin from our driveway (tucked behind a bush) if we forget to put it out.

Original poster

FunkyBarnYardBroom · 09/05/2014 18:05

The more I've thought about this I've just realised that three bins were all nearly lined on my drive. Not the pavement. Usually they are slung about just anywhere. Hmmm curiouser

OP posts:

ThatBloodyWoman · 09/05/2014 18:27

Are people not hearing me?

The workload and pressure to get the job done can be immense on the dust nowadays.

These are just normal people, not the bastard fuckers from hell sent to make your life,personally, harder.

Really, just make a polite phone call.If things don't improve, chase it up.

Of course there are bad workers on the bins, just like anywhere else, and there is a fair share of militancy.
But it's hard hard work, and not fair to demonise the majority of refuse collectors who have a tough time under increasingly difficult conditions.

I always tip the refuse collectors, posties and our milkman.
It may not be the 70's but it's something I do to show my support.

bigdeal · 09/05/2014 18:36

they have it easy now days with the wheelie bin put out for them and the handles facing the road , lazy sods ,the way they block the road is so annoying why cant they just pull over and let everyone get on with their day.

softlysoftly · 09/05/2014 18:40

Well mine are passive aggressive I'm sure. We have a bin area, parents house over the road opposite doesn't and leaving it on the (joint) drive causes the neighbours issues. Parents are also getting on a bit and so we manage the bins for them.

I got a letter saying the binmen had been into my bin area, noted the additional bin and it was very serious, I was to leave it out for removal otherwise they would enter my property and take it.

I wrote politely back to note that the bin was for the opposite house, who they would note had never left a bin out and we had paid for it (new houses you £16 each type of bin which are myriad because of recycling). All fine.

But now post letter while they collect the bin with our bin from our driveway they always always return the bin to the very centre of the joint driveway over the road where it sits waiting to annoy the neighbours who get back earlier than me EVERY TIME.

magichandles · 09/05/2014 18:45

Our recycling is put out in plastic sacks. About an hour or so before the recycling truck comes round, someone comes ahead to put several houses worth of recycling sacks into one place, presumably to speed up chucking it into the lorry.

And the most convenient place for them to do this? Yes, you've guessed it, right in front of our driveway, meaning it's a right pain in the arse moving 15-20 bags of recycling out of the way to get in or out. Fuckers.

ThatBloodyWoman · 09/05/2014 18:49

bigdeal they wouldn't get the job done if they kept pulling over.

Would it be ok if it was your bin they didn't have time to empty?

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