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...

Myredpepper we have a green bin, black bin, recycle bin and cardboard bag...

Oh and our binmen won't empty our wheely bin if all the rubbish isn't bagged. Garden waste and recycling is fine but not the household rubbish. Not really sure what the point of the wheely bin is in that case.

That said, I live in Birmingham and our bins have finally been collected after five weeks so we're pretty happy with that.

@GreeboIsACutePussPuss skip diving is brill, I always have a nosy see if theres anything decent in any skips I pass. One person's trash is another person's treasure.
Between me and my partner we've had a barbecue, a wine rack and a fish tank (which I did ask before I took as it was in the neighbour's skip).

When I was having my old bathroom ripped out entirely for a new one (was very very needed, chipped sink, cracked toilet bowl, chips out the bath, and more importantly a leaking pipe in the wall behind the bath that we could only get to and repair by removing the bath) the old bits were on my private area separated from the path by a low wall.

I was at home, heard so banging around, figured rag and bone man so didn't interfere, everyone has to make a living some way right?

Didn't think there was much if anything there for him but they were welcome to look.

Then I heard a massive crash!

Ran out to see the tail lights on the truck zooming off and ceramic shards and massive sharp chunks of cistern right across the pathway to my house and onto the public path.

I start clearing it back into the bath because people walk by. Dogs pass by, and I am really near a primary school so small kids pass by, it was also impassable for my children, 2 autistic and one who'd be cycling so would puncture his tyre.

Only somehow I catch myself and have to stop because I am bleeding all over the ceramic and making it slippery! Had to go and sort me out! Was deep enough that minutes later had to change the plaster AND put a second one on top for a pressure dressing to just stop dripping THROUGH the plaster!

I have no issues with people going through someone else's rubbish, but for goodness sakes, please don't leave a mess behind! :(

So no, you're not BU to be annoyed about the bag tearing etc :(

I've been both grateful and dismayed by the tendency to help yourself around here- it can be useful to get something recycled hassle free - but I've also had items people thought they wanted turn up later at a fly tipping site and end up with us being fined - although technically it was stolen you try proving that.
I too have had charity shops refusing donations as they are overloaded and had my 3 piece suite turned into a 2 piece by the BHF's refusal to take one of the chairs as it wasn't as perfect as the other one. So I stayed in for them to collect and had to take more time off for the council to take the unwanted chair for a charge.
Also caught a man in my front garden rummaging for scrap metal - got a ladder nicked from the back garden - and had my York stone patio nicked - this was spotted by my neighbour who was told by the thieves we were having it block paved by them so they were just site clearing in readiness. Needless to say I no longer leave anything out or not locked up - even if I don't want it, I don't wish to be fined again!

My ex hired a skip when he was renovating his property in Liverpool. You wouldn't believe the skip rats it attracted!

Frankly you're an example of what's wrong with the world. Why are you throwing away things that others might be able to make use of? Where do you think all those things are going to end up? Landfill right? And what then..?

BHF refused a three week old sofa from ikea from me last year. I bought it to stage a house we were selling, the cat scratched one of the arms so a thread was hanging off it.

I couldn't believe it really, it was brand new and had been sat in an empty house for two weeks, then in our garage.

Hiphopfrog_ are you serious? A toy covered in pen, I wouldn't put that on a selling page/ freecyle page, although after my experience with vrrcycke I wouldn't bother trying to give such things away.
Charity shops sell things, I doubt they would appreciate a toy covered in pen.

"The local YWCA furniture project had them in the end and were thrilled"

DH and I once had an old gate leaf table, second hand when we got it, with a top covered with scratches and paint stains (we always used a cloth) , but very sturdy. A local youth group happily took it away when we bought a new dining set.

Our council will take large items like sofas away for free. Any old white goods or other metal stuff I leave on the drive, where it gets taken by scrap metal dealers, but they always knock the door and ask before they take it.

had my York stone patio nicked - this was spotted by my neighbour who was told by the thieves we were having it block paved by them so they were just site clearing in readiness

OMG!!!!!!

I've got nothing to equal that, but I did leave a broken tumble dryer outside and, on hearing a noise, found some guy carting it off to a van ; no please or thank you any sort, just "yo dunna wannit, do ya?"

I thought it best not to tell him it was useless, and at least it saved a trip to the tip ...

I used to leave things out the front of my terrace, and someone would always be along quick. We used to have a competition who could leave something worthless outside and have it taken in the shortest amount of time (eg. A saucepan with no handle)

"I thought it best not to tell him it was useless, and at least it saved a trip to the tip ..."

He probably knows perfectly well that it's useless - he was likely taking it for scrap.

The sad thing is it's every bit as likely to be someone not in need, but just a tight arse who saw an opportunity! I've known well-off people to fish things out of skips. There's a reason they're well off I guess!

He probably knows perfectly well that it's useless - he was likely taking it for scrap

Aw come on, don't spoil it I wouldn't have felt this way if he'd at least asked, but as it was I had a lot of fun thinking of the cheeky sod's disappointed face when he realised it didn't work

You're probably right, though - and like I said, it saved me getting rid of it myself