to think it's twattish to leave your unwanted crap outside your house for passers-by to take?

[TheIncredibleBookEatingManchot]

I probably am being unreasonable because the person I know who does this is someone I just can't stand for no discernible reason and everything she does annoys me.

Every so often stuff gets left on the pavement outside her house. Sometimes with a note saying "Free to a good home! :)" but usually just left there. Books get soggy in the rain, and seriously, is anyone going to pick up a dog-eared picture book from the pavement and give it to their baby anyway? Wheelchair users can't get past (very narrow pavement) and stuff just sits there for days looking sadder and sadder and I was sure there were more reasons to be annoyed by this but as I type I realise it pretty much boils down to it's annoying because it's her.

But why doesn't she offer her things to friends or donate it to a charity shop or sell it or freecycle it?

I bet she's smugly thinking "I'm being so kind and generous letting anyone who needs my unwanted crap just come and take it. And everyone can see how kind and generous I am every time they pass my house. I bet they talk about how lovely I am all the time."

YOU'RE NOT BEING KIND AND GENEROUS YOU'RE JUST CLUTTERING THE STREET WITH RUBBISH

I'm being unreasonable, aren't I?

[LarrytheCucumber]

It is common practice here to leave broken washing machines, fridge freezers etc out on the drive for the local travellers. They are usually gone within days.

[bluetongue]

I'm Australian, living in Australia and I hate it. My council offer two free 'hard rubbish' collections a year but still idiots litter the footpath with their junk. We have council employees put yellow and black tape around it for awhile before eventually taking it away.

[Ifailed]

if it wasn't blocking the pavement, would you mind?

[cantfindausername2]

I'm in Australia. In my area we get 12 free council clean ups a year that take mattresses and everything. I'm happy to see people take things.

[BalloonSlayer]

Lemon the radiator would have been snapped up by the local scrap metal people (often travellers as someone else has mentioned). We had our boiler replaced and the plumber left it outside. He had huffed and puffed a lot with it and I did think he must have been a bit of a wimp . Then DH and I went to put it in the car to take it to the tip but we couldn't lift it between us! I suggested that we leave it where it was and that the travellers would take it. DH was sceptical but it was silently gone the next day. Someone else said I could have got quite a few quid for it if I had sold it for scrap myself but that's no good if I couldn't lift the sodding thing. They were welcome to it!

[winniewigs]

I was thinking of doing this with some garden toys the dc have outgrown. I keep offering them to people for free, they say yes so I hold on to them, but then they never take them. As they're garden toys, it doesn't matter if they get rained on.

[Nataleejah]

Lol! Must be really crappy crap if it stays for days.
Whenever i leave crap outside to be picked up by council, council arrives to an empty lot

[user1485931854]

I dont think its a problem. Its quite common around here.

[Treaclex]

I'm guilty of leaving stuff outside but everything I've ever put out has been gone within the hour, from a garden furniture set to chest of draws and even an extremely large leather corner sofa ( all left in the garden with a note on the gate ) the only things I put on the street are washing machines or any other scrap metal as we have quite a few scrap men scouting the area. Oh and the charity bags. But if you really think it's a load of shit why would a charity shop want it
I would never put anything out that was shit and couldn't be used I would dispose of it properly but I know at least 2 families have had good use out of things I've put out and would rather it went to good use than just tipped.

[BillyDaveysDaughter]

I visit one of the wealthiest areas of Zurich regularly and it's common practice there too. I had to ask my host what it was all about, the stuff sitting on the path outside people's houses...

[perfectlybroken]

This is common practice in our area and we've found some great stuff! But it's furniture, household stuff, garden toys, not picture books which would get wet in the rain. I think it's a great way to recycle.

[ActuallyThatsSUPREMECommander]

Furniture or larger stuff is fine, but the many people locally who leave unwanted books or clothes out to get rained on and trampled into the pavement do my nut in. There are six charity shops within a ten minute walk, both the local tube stations have free book shelves, there's a flourishing Freecycle group and we get clothes recycling charity bags through the door regularly. There is absolutely no need to leave decent stuff out to clutter up the place and get ruined.

[Spudlet]

I picked a little tricycle up for DS the other day, and if I'd had someone to help me wrangle it, I'd have had a swing too. DH refused to come and help me get it though, on the grounds of having no space (pah).

Perishable items aren't great though, nor is blocking the pavement.

[liz70]

White goods, radiators etc. are wanted for scrap metal. Local travellers usually collect any I've left out on our drive. They've always knocked and asked, although I wouldn't mind either way.

[CripsSandwiches]

Based on your title I was going to say YABU, lots of people leave stuff out that people might want. We used to do it all the time on my wold road and it would always be gone within hours. It can't be blocking the pavement though and if it hasn't gone quickly you should bring it back in. Yyou can't just dump stuff on the pavement because you can't be bothered to free cycle it or take it to the charity shop. Piles of books etc. clearly need to be donated to the charity shop.

[LondonPainter]

My friend did this recently with a piece of furniture and was fined £80 for fly tipping by the local council (we're in London).

[stopfuckingshoutingatme]

Will someone take
My fridge ??? Hope so else I have to pay the council £25 !!!!

I see it as free cycling and I tend to also post it in the local selling page obviously is it doesn't go then onto second hand or the dump

It saves me a trip and I know it's gone to a home - but I do it in the summer obvs

[stopfuckingshoutingatme]

I have gained
2 kids bikes
6 garden chairs
1 coffee maker

Off the top of my head ! And a few books 😃

[liz70]

"gypos"

I didn't know Gene Hunt was on MN. #waves

[Bambambini]

I've done this a few times with stuff that's maybe not right for a charity shop or hard to transport. Hate throwing stuff out. Don't block pavements though, usually leave it inside my drive. Leaving stuff blocking the pavement gor days in the rain isn't so good.

[Treaclex]

Stop nobody will take fridges due to the gasses in them your not even allowed to put them in skips

[stopfuckingshoutingatme]

I thought so . £25 then ! Thanks

[Mammylamb]

At my mothers in Glasgow they leave large items out and the travellers pick them up. Saves £20 on a council collection