To be annoyed at how many bin bags they have?

[smigglepiggle]

Disclaimer: I don't routinely nose at what other people do with their rubbish but the sheer volume of this I can't help but notice.

Each week, for a family of four and a dog, we put out one or two bin bags for collection. Sometimes, if it's Christmas or the kids have had a birthday, it'll stretch to three. This was even the case when they were both in nappies.

There's a family who live opposite. Four people with two being adult children who, no word of a lie, put out a minimum of ten big black bin bags for collection (plus loads of loose RECYCLABLE stuff that is put out the night before and flaps about all over the road). I first noticed when they put out 25 bins after Christmas. 25!!!

I'm not a big eco-warrior but I try to make sure food doesn't get wasted and we recycle whatever we can.

AIBU to think this amount of waste is utterly insane?

We have weekly collections and soon we're going to be given one of those small bins to fit all our waste in and it'll be going down to fortnightly collections. I'm a bit worried that we're going to end up with them trying to shove their bin bags into our bins. I caught one of the adult kids shoving a load of plastic wrapping into our recycling once (which would result in a fine for us).

You need to put everything they put In Your bin through their letter box then buy bin locks

Buy a bin lock, and forget about the neighbours.

They are putting their rubbish out for collection, not fly tipping.

Most if the 'recycling' probably ends up in landfill abroad anyway.

Didn't know bin locks were a thing - thank for the tip.

It's less the whole recycling thing but just the absolute disregard and culture of "Ahh I'll just chuck it away". I know another member of their family separately and they are notorious for buying stuff and just chucking it away. That shower curtain beach hack that was doing the rounds on social media - they reposted it and claimed it was ingenious and had stocked up with a load of cheap plastic shower curtains they can throw away after ever beach trip. It's just soooo wasteful.

Maybe they're having a big clear out ready for when the bins get smaller. I fill our black bin up a lot over the summer as I'm slowly getting rid of a lifetime's worth of junk which was left in our garden and outbuildings by the previous owner. They shouldn't be using your bins without permission though.

yabu to be annoyed

though we are similar. we only put out our bins every second collection as it's just not full before that. neighbours have a full/overflowing bin every time and I wonder how that's even possible.

and yes to bin locks
we have them as well as we had an issue with dog walkers gropping dog shit in them.

They could be bringing home business waste from work.

I religiously recycle but it dismays me when you hear of councils either burning stiff or sending it off to a third world country to be buried. I then question why I am possibly wasting my time, money and energy washing up tins that aren’t being recycled. When paper prices were low, our scout leader said that the petrol used to take recycled news papers to the local tip outweighed it’s worth. So recycling can be a balancing act and sometimes a bloody waste of time!

For sure the small bin and fortnightly collections will force them to evaluate the amount of waste they create. Do get a bin lock though.

It's going to be fun when you get wheelie bins and fortnightly collections!!

And YANBU to be annoyed.

The local council has to pay per tonne what is sent to landfill. The more that gets thrown away, the more it's costing everyone in council tax.

I don't see what's wrong with burning, our black sack stuff goes to an incinerator (I know it's got all sorts of filters to keep emissions low) and then the energy produced creates electricity for the national grid. About 10 miles away from where we live. Our recycling goes on a 60 mike journey to the other end of the county to be sorted and then on to either the docks for export or to the recycling processing plants in the uk. I think the incinerator is possibly the least polluting option? The recycling stuff travels miles!

How do bin locks work? How do the refuse collectors open them if neighbours can't?

How full is their recycling? We always fill up of recycling bin before it is due to be collected because, apart from nappies, almost all of our waste is packaging so apart from nappies, eggs shells and the non recyclable plastic bag type packaging, the rest all goes into the recycling bin. Once that's filled up we start putting our recycling into our black bin. There us no point storing it in the house because we would just end up with more and more of it. I'm not going to waste my time taking it to a tip either.

The recycling often overflows. We struggle with it as well. Our council doesn't collect a lot of stuff either so we have to routinely go to the tip and bottle banks etc.

The clearing out thing I would understand but it's been happening for a long time. They also put it out throughout the week (lack of space I guess) and the foxes often get into it and rubbish is strewn about the place.

Work wise they're all hcp so unless there bringing medical waste I doubt it. I think they just a big consumer family. Lots of food waste, lots of packing (I take about six parcels a week in average in for them).

@fatted I know right? We've known it was coming for a while and have been trying to streamline. I HATE waste though and will rarely throw away food. The thought of how some of the houses on our road (opposite is just a very extreme end of the spectrum but most houses have 4+ bags a week) is going to be interesting (and probably messy) to say the least.

They're*

bin locks open when the bin is turned upside down i.e. tipped into bin lorry

I can hear your curtains weeping from the pain of repetitive strain injury, OP.

Honestly, is this how you like to spend time?

@Pengggwn I alternate my time with heading up to the next floor to spy out of my telescope at who has parked over the garage entrances and composing passive aggressive post-its full of kisses to leave on windscreens.

Fair enough

I think YABU, the bin bags are there for a matter of hours before they’re collected.

We had a neighbour report us to the council for ‘flytipping’ when we were in the process of moving out; we had several bin bags outside our flat in a neat pile on bin day. The council actually rang us and threatened us with a fine! All because of busybody neighbours. Don’t be that neighbour.

There’s five people in my house- two adults and three primary aged children plus a cat. I recycle absolutely everything I possibly can but generally, my green bin will still be full to busting by the end of the fortnight. Fortnightly collections are really shit. My recycling bins will also be full. Our council brought in a rule meaning they will no longer collect bins with the lid slightly ajar as well 😒.

I did also just

Actually @CaptainCabinets they aren't. They leave them out on a daily basis and foxes get into them. I actually had a lovely roast chicken carcass dropped on my door entrance last week. It must have been the foxes' midnight feast three days before bin day.