to go steal my fucking bin back?

[OohMavis]

My neighbour's stolen my bloody bin! It went missing last bin collection, two weeks ago. I left it out for a day after it was collected, but don't go victim blaming

I just thought well, it's probably been taken by some bin-stealing hoodlums or something, and resolved to use bin bags until it was either returned (ha!) or I could order a new one from the council come New Year.

However, I saw the cheeky cow wheeling her bin and MY bin out this morning to the kerb! I know it's mine as it's a darker green than all the rest, and has mud at the bottom from sploshing it up my garden.

I went out to put my bin bags to the kerb and looked inside, and my bin is full of her garden crap, so I couldn't take it back there and then. And I had to leave to get to the shop for some last minute bits, so I decided to get it back once the bin men had been - nobody brings their bins back in straight away.

So I came back and went to get it, and she's taken it back! So obviously intends to keep the bloody thing.

I know where she lives. I want to go nick it back tonight, but DH thinks I'll probably get arrested. He's probably right. I could knock on the door and go 'Oi, you stole my bin!' but I'm a but of a petal and would end up going away after apologising for it being muddy or something.

Top news op!

Get some paint on it now!

Good skillz. This happened to us. We spotted it in a front garden in the next road. The genius thief had scratched off our number 4, leaving scratches in the shape of a number 4. I reclaimed it, none too quietly, with a defiant glare at the Windows of the house. Cheeky fuckers.

well done OP!!! Merry Christmas all!

Good work OP.

Now, Tis the season of goodwill and all, so why not buy her a nice present for the new year. Maybe this wheelie bin pencil holder , on to which you could tipped her house number. Or yours?

Tippex not tipped.

It's worth the £3 to glue that tiny bin to her bin.

My bin stopped wandering once I put my house number on the lid. I used black nail polish for it! Best £4 spent 2 years ago!

Well done OP!!

I'm sm glad you went and got it back!!

Metal ours have barcodes too so no bin stealing issues. However I gave our red box a really good clean because it was foul smelling from DH's booze bottles he never rinses and of course it was someone else's rank smelling one which ended up left in the street on collection day. Tippexed our house number on the side and lid. Always returns home now!

Completely off the point, but I'm currently reading "Watching the English," (I'm not English and don't live in the UK) and I now GET these threads! I used to be so perplexed at the bin stealing threads along with the neighbor has my package, postman knocked too hard, school mum keeps asking for a lift types. Now I get it! Well done you for stealing it back, that was ballsy.

Paint your number on it quick. Well done for stealing it back!!!

Yay you got it back!!!! This has been so funny

I agree with a pp though, get yourself some paint and sneak up to her bin and paint something totally inappropriate on it! Oh what fun you'll have then on the next collection day

OP do you live on my street ?!
We're constantly having bin wars here !

Excellent work, OP! I was rooting for you.

Bin pinching really perplexes me. Do the tea leaves think that you won't notice?

Our elderly neighbours are terrible for this. When we moved in, garden waste was collected in green fabric bags. Ours was almost new. After the collection we got home from work to find a ragged scrap of fabric, more hole than bag, waiting for us. A neighbor had siezed their chance to palm off their crappy old bag!

Our glass and plastic bin had an insert in the top that fitted over the lid and sat inside the bin, under the lid. Presumably for people who didn't use much of that stuff so could just put out the insert rather than the full wheely bin. Anyway, that also got nicked FROM INSIDE THE BIN! Someone would have had to have checked inside all the recycling bins to see whether there was anything worth nicking. We were new to the (very middle class) area and not wise to its ways.

So DH and I did some detective work - Tommy and Tuppence - and discovered that the culprits were our elderly neighbours. The bin insert had a distinguishing crack on the rim. An open and shut case! But it was full of bottles so we couldn't nick it back by stealth without making a racket.

Perhaps the refuse receptacle theft was a hangover from the post-war 'make do and mend' years? We saw that they had nicked our garden waste bag, too, and embroidered their house number on it!

Anyway, the recycling is collected very early so we put our bin out the previous evening as usual but were at the bottom of the drive at 6 am for the bin collection. As soon as our neighbours' glass and plastic bin was collected, we pounced. The insert was OURS again! We laughed for days. I know, it's pathetic. The piece of plastic that was the subject of the skirmish lives in the garage now. We put the stuff into it then carry it out to the wheely bin when it is full. The neighbours have no idea.

I agree with a pp though, get yourself some paint and sneak up to her bin and paint something totally inappropriate on it! Oh what fun you'll have then on the next collection day grin

YY. Can you get suitable glow in the dark paint?