AIBU to ask WTAF is wrong with people???

[LonginesPrime]

I'm in the process of redecorating one of the kids' bedrooms. The council are coming to collect some of the bulky items we're getting rid of, including small sofa bed, some ikea shelf units and some wood from dismantled cabin beds. I put it outside in my front garden this morning ready for collection as it was a two person job and that was when I had someone to help. We live in a standard Victorian terrace with just a small square of concrete for the garden at the front, separated from the pavement by a waist-height wall and a metal gate.

When I came home this afternoon, I saw that two of the shelf units had been taken (and the sofa bed placed on the floor, where previously it had been sitting on the units).

This is fine and, although I thought it a little cheeky that someone would come into my garden to take things (i.e. they weren't left on the pavement), I expect this in London and appreciate that someone might want some battered old bookcases. I even thought to myself 'well, at least they put the sofa bed back how considerate'.

However, I just went out to put out the rubbish and noticed that one of the black bags that I'd put in the plastic bin was now in front of the bin and had been opened. I then realised that a child's plastic bow (the shooting kind) which was in one of the bags had been left on the windowsill next to the bins and there was a matted-haired My Little Pony on the ground.

I opened the other bins and saw that someone had ripped open each of the bags and had left the contents spilling everywhere. The council won't take them like that so I'm the one who gets screwed if I just leave them. So I've had to tip the bins up to get everything out of them and into new bin bags in the dark, tipping a load of old rainwater/rancid bin juice over my path and my bare feet in the process.

I get that someone obviously realised I was having a clearout and they've clearly taken bits and pieces, and I get that there's a lot of poverty and that one man's trash is another man's treasure, but AIBU to think that you don't go into someone's front garden, open their bins and rip up the bags inside them?

I'm off to have a hot bath and to ponder what's becoming of the world...

Your bin men insist on things inside your wheelie bin being bagged?!

Does no one just chuck the odd loose thing in at the last minute? Empty a vacuum cleaner in, loose? What a waste of black bags that must be

Does no one just chuck the odd loose thing in at the last minute? Empty a vacuum cleaner in, loose? What a waste of black bags that must be

Not everywhere has wheelie bins. Some areas still have normal dustbin and bag collection. So everything has to be in bags. And if a fox gets to a bag it'll not be taken away.

Ah yes that could be it. I can't believe there are still areas that don't have wheelie bins

My eldery mother left bagged items out for charity collection and came home to find some of it stewn across the pavement and the gutter. You may be in need but don't take the piss.

Exactly! There's just no need for it to left like that.

In London leaving things out for people to take is called doorstep recycling. It's very common.

But presumably that doesn't apply to items in the bins

really

You don't necessarily have to pay - you don't pay our (London) council.
Our council also has a furniture collection service run by the Quakers, for furniture that's good enough to be re-used.

I also leave smaller items outside.

OP - yes, coming into your garden/ ripping open bags is taking it a bit far. I guess people see you are having a clearout and fancy their chances.

Yanbu - however to get all narked and eggy is a bit OTT.
Would somw flowers help?

Everything round here gets put out on the wall. Someone will want it. I only ever have 'wrappers' (cellophane, plastic packets etc) in my bin. How have you got 'bin juice'?...food should be in the food bin

I love using freecycle. No effort required apart from typing a few words on a keyboard.
Re charity donation - I went to two charity shops last weekend with a large box of stuff, and both of them turned me away because they weren't taking donations 'at the moment'.

Narked because she had to empty all the bins and rebag everything? I would have been too

Not everywhere has food bins!

YANBU
Coming to the front garden and taking some old furniture is to be expected.
Coming into your garden, going through your BIN and then leaving stuff in a mess isn't. Surely, if they came around your house, they are from the area so KNOW waste has to be in black bin bags?

Food bin? What is a food bin?

We are are we have A bin and a box for recycling. That's it.

When I first moved in with DP, we stored lots of furniture/belongings in the cellar. Unfortunately, the upstairs flat had been putting makeup wipes down the toilet. It blocked the pipe and I had a (5ft!!) poop flood in my cellar!

When the insurance company sent their specialist teams in, everything was itemised and put into a skip outside. Over the next two days, most things were taken despite it being covered and a sign on the outside!!!

This was in SW London.

I get what you are saying op. It isn't that they took the things because they wanted or needed them, but ripped everything open and left it a bloody mess for you to clean up.

People are a nightmare! The house I currently ive in is in a really nice area, I've
Got a
Long front garden - at least 10 metres ling and I've changed my washing machine twice since loving here /
The first was taken from
Outside my front door whilst I took my baby swimming so was out for an hour, the second was taken whilst I went shopping, husband and kids were home!! No one knocked or asked of course!!
One time
However I did have a note left
On some shelves as to whether they could take them, but husband hadn't asked if I wanted them, and I did, so glad she'd left a note
Lol

Depressing, isn't it?

There's no community spirit anymore. No one cares if they leave a mess because someone else has to sort it for them.

Myredpepper

A bin where you put food scraps. Council takes it away to make compost for parks. Good eh?

I am surprised you are surprised OP.
You live in London and this is standard for London. If you leave something in your front garden it will be taken. People do van drive-bys to check for stuff.
Sometimes they will knock and ask but usually it just goes.

Tell you what really pisses me off though.
Round here has become gentrified recently. I have noticed a new trend for leaving 'offerings' out for 'community use'
This is all very lovely except they put them out on the pavement so they don't have oiks coming in their front gardens.
Add piles of books and bit of furniture to the bikes chained up and those bloody twee mini gardens round every sodding tree and our narrow pavements are like an obstacle course.

Being all about the environment and community whilst totally ignoring the needs of disabled residents and people pushing buggies.

She's surprised they opened her bins (which are presumably in the usual place) ripped open the bags and went through the contents. I don't think she's surprised the stuff she left out was taken.

MrsDV

Aw don't be mean about the flowers round the trees. They are nice