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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Neighbours overflowing bin - to complain?

170 replies

FrauNeuer · 31/07/2018 09:46

Hi folks

Genuine question here.

Neighbours opposite have gone away on holiday and left their overflowing bin at the top of their driveway. There are no bags of rubbish on the street, but the bin lid is at a 45 degree angle because they have overfilled it.

Obviously I’m concerned about the potential for vermin, especially in this heatwave that we’re having. The bins are not due to be collected until Thursday.

Should I contact the Local Authority, or do you think they are unlikely to take any action?

I should also mention that I’ve reported these filthy people before for leaving bags of rubbish out. We frequently have to deal with debris blowing across from their side. If it was a one off, I’d be inclined to let it go, but I feel that they need a warning.

What would you do?

OP posts:
Fatted · 31/07/2018 09:47

If it's in their property then naff all you can do. If it's out in the street then report to the council.

Can you not just wheel it down their driveway so it's out of the way?!

Jinglebells99 · 31/07/2018 09:50

The council here say they won’t take the bin unless the lid is closed so potentially you will have a worse problem on your hands, if the council refuse to take it.

Original poster
FrauNeuer · 31/07/2018 09:52

Thanks for the reply. Really? Well it is on their property, as opposed to being on the street, so I guess they’ve been very shrewd there.

I wondered about doing that, but we have fortnightly bin collections here (Angry) and I don’t know how long horror family are on holiday for, so potentially we could have exposed trash for 2 weeks.

Urgh it makes me so angry to think that this type of thing is accepted! Added to this, the poor lady next door to them is trying to sell her home - she has no chance!

OP posts:
vandrew4 · 31/07/2018 09:53

I'd feel sorry for them that the ridiculous policy of only emptying bins once every 2 weeks leads to many many people with no real means of disposing of their rubbish. Our council is thinking of moving to every 4 weeks and it's going to lead to a massive increase in fly tipping/ vermin / overflowing rubbish. Fucking ridiculous

Original poster
FrauNeuer · 31/07/2018 09:55

jinglebells99 oh shit, that’s a risk. They’ve done this before and the bin has still been emptied, but I think it’s only a matter of time before the rubbish collection decide that they’re taking the piss and leave the bin where it is.

OP posts:
FrayedHem · 31/07/2018 09:56

Without wishing to sound snippy, what action do you want the Local Authority to take? They may refuse to take the bin, though here they will take out the excess bag(s) until it closes.

FASH84 · 31/07/2018 09:57

How is it their fault the bins are only collected fortnightly? For a lot of families that wouldn't be often enough, where were they supposed to put their rubbish in their house??

Original poster
FrauNeuer · 31/07/2018 09:59

vandrew4 I agree it’s a horrible policy. I can’t imagine the problems that a 4 weekly collection would cause. Absolutely disgusting.

However, they are only a family of 4 and everyone else seems to manage without littering the area. We have a well-resourced dump 15 minutes drive away, and neither of the adults at the property seem to have to work for a living so they have plenty of time to avail themselves of its services.

OP posts:
MereDintofPandiculation · 31/07/2018 10:01

The Council won't do anything about it, the family are on holiday and can't do anything about it, so if you're really worried about vermin in the next two weeks, why don't you take some of it round to the tip?

Original poster
FrauNeuer · 31/07/2018 10:02

fash84 that’s not my problem. They could try and reduce the amount of combustible waste that they produce as a household or manage like everyone else on the street does.

I’m not in any way in favour of fortnightly bin collections, by the way!

OP posts:
MereDintofPandiculation · 31/07/2018 10:03

For a long term solution, complain to the Council each and every time the bin is overflowing. If that doesn't give you any joy, email a Councillor.

Teaformeplz · 31/07/2018 10:03

To be honest I can't see them doing anything about it before Thursday, they'd want to do a formal complaint etc so I'm afraid you'll probably just have to wait and hope they take it on Thursday!

Original poster
FrauNeuer · 31/07/2018 10:03

why don't you take some of it round to the tip?

What?!? Is that what you would do, seriously?

OP posts:
HaveSomeGrace · 31/07/2018 10:04

Does this family cause you grief anti socially or is it just their bins you have issues with? You clearly don’t like them...

Original poster
FrauNeuer · 31/07/2018 10:04

FrayedHem naively, I thought the council might send them a letter or something. Just as a warning...

OP posts:
londonrach · 31/07/2018 10:09

Yanvvu. The council would laugh at you. The two weekly bin collection is a nightmare if youve a baby in nappies. Sounds like you dont like the family

LookAtIt · 31/07/2018 10:10

Take some photos and send them to the council. If there is rubbish around that can cause rats or smell etc the council can do something about it even if it's on private property.

OftenHangry · 31/07/2018 10:12

I can't believe it never happened to you that your bin was filled up bit more. Especially during deep clean times.
Basically everyone on my street has bin with open lids 3 days before the glorious fortnightly collection especially when they have events like birthdays etc now. We all also have recycle bin, and we all recycle.

I agree with @HaveSomeGrace. It sounds like you don't like them.

triangulator · 31/07/2018 10:13

What do you expect them to do? The family I mean, not the council. They have a bin, full of waste and they are away. If they didn't leave it out at the top of their drive, it wouldn't get collected while they were away and so they would have the same waste in their bin for a month!

We have one dc in nappies and it's the summer holidays, so my waste is more than usual, and I'm a good recycler. We are had a party a few weeks ago and so our bin was overflowing by the time it was collected. I could have taken some to the dump, but I didn't have that much and I know our council will collect it if the bin lid is slightly up so there wasn't any point. It all ends up in the same place!

Thursday isn't exactly a long time away. It might well attract vermin but it would be doing that wherever it was on the drive, even if they were there, surely? And that's the council's doing, not theirs.

FrayedHem · 31/07/2018 10:14

Realistically, do you think they'd change their bin behaviour if they got a letter? It sounds frustrating but not sure it's environmental health intervention level bad.

triangulator · 31/07/2018 10:15

Lol send them a warning saying what?

They will either collect the bin, in which case suck it up, the council think it's fine. Or they won't collect the bin with the lid up (unlikely) and the family will know they can't do that again and make the effort to take excess waste to the dump!

PlatypusPie · 31/07/2018 10:20

Are you sure the council won’t do anything about it ? Ours are good about random collections like that that pose a health hazard . Some councils make recycling complicated ( odd schedules ) - ours is done the same time as the rubbish collection ( glass/plastic, paper, food) so the residual rubbish is very much reduced.

However, I ought to stop being smug about it as there are strong rumours that they are going to go into a joint contract with a neighbouring council who only do 2 weekly, which would be a pain in an urban area with tiny terraced houses with little pavement space or storage, and flats with minimal communal space :/

BigSandyBalls2015 · 31/07/2018 10:24

Is this a wind up? You've clearly got far too much time on your hands if it isn't!

BigSandyBalls2015 · 31/07/2018 10:25

Reminds me of my father in law when he retired ...... bored shitless ... made the council's lives a misery.

LlamaPyjamas · 31/07/2018 10:33

I’m not sure what else the family is supposed to do if they have more than a bin full of rubbish? If there’s too much rubbish to fit in your bin you can

A.Take it to the tip and get smelly rubbish all over your nice clean car.
B. Knock and ask if you can pop a couple of extra bags in the neighbours bin.
C. Overfill your bin and hope the council take it.

Nobody is going to do A unless it’s cardboard or something clean they need to dispose of, not kitchen waste. B only works if you have nice neighbours. C is what most people would do.

I doubt if a bin will attract a vermin infestation in 48 hours. The council will take it on Thursday. If you think it’s too full then why don’t you be neighbourly and take a few bits out to pop in your own bin?