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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Neighbours using three bins for general waste and not recycling- AIBU?

41 replies

DoAllMeerkatsComeFromRussia · 14/05/2019 17:21

I know it's not my business and I'm not going to say anything to them as I like keeping people onside but my new neighbours are filling three large bins for landfill every two weeks and not once has a recycling bin gone out. AIBU to expect everyone to do their "bit"?

They moved in just after Christmas- mum, dad and five kids- and on a personal level all is well- noise levels aren't excessive, we have smiles and hellos when we bump into each other on the doorstep etc. I just think when the council have provided three bins for sorting rubbish, you could at least make an effort to do it to some extent, however busy you were. I think what annoys me more is that they have managed to acquire a second landfill bin- maybe because they are a large family although the uncharitable side of me thinks they've told the council theirs was stolen! In addition, they are also pinching the bin of the lovely lady from next door to me on the other side, who uses the house as a holiday home (tourist area) and filling that up as well. So every fortnight, three bins are going off to landfill and yet not a bottle or tin can or cereal box is going in the recycling bin.

I know I probably need to chill out, I'm not exactly an eco-warrior myself but recycling is not exactly hard is it?

OP posts:
GreenFingersWouldBeHandy · 14/05/2019 17:25

No, I'd find it annoying too. But not sure what you can do about it without offending them.

Unshriven · 14/05/2019 17:29

Lot's of recycling is pointless in the way it' done anyway.

If things aren't washed out properly the whole lot is 'contaminated'. I know loads of people who don't rinse stuff at all, just put anything vaguely recyclable looking in the recyling bin, and hope for the best.

And here, if something is put into a recycling bag in error, the bin men stick a notice on it and leave it in the street.

A few hours later, it's picked up and chucked in with the general waste.

Then there are all the stories of recycling being shipped off to landfill anyway.

At least your neighbours are honest about their approach.

Original poster
DoAllMeerkatsComeFromRussia · 14/05/2019 17:30

I know. I thought about saying something but figured mentioning it wouldn't go down well and I'd rather not have the sort of relationship with neighbours that my MIL has frankly! Glad it's not just me though. I'm just going to seethe internally I think!

OP posts:
Gilead · 14/05/2019 17:32

Families numbering more than six are given two bins, as are families including people with some disabilities.

Original poster
DoAllMeerkatsComeFromRussia · 14/05/2019 17:32

I didn't think of that Unshriven! Bugger, I really am just going to have to suck it up and keep smiling.

OP posts:
Alena92 · 14/05/2019 17:33

Don’t mention it to them. Focus on the good that you’re doing rather than what your neighbours aren’t!

TheFlis12345 · 14/05/2019 17:33

My neighbours are the same. It really annoys me. A fox ripped open one of their bags a couple of weeks ago and it was full of plastic bottles. How lazy / selfish do you need to be to not just put them in a recycling bag instead?!

Nearlythere1 · 14/05/2019 17:37

@unshriven this isn't an arsey question, im just curious since you seem to know about it, but why cant recycling just be rinsed at the facility? So if i put in one unrinsed tin and it get to the facility, they just have to bin a city's-worth of tins because of that? Surely absolutely nothing is getting recycled then?

DontCallMeShitley · 14/05/2019 17:52

I worry that my rinsed stuff is not rinsed enough, then I worry that if I wash it till it is spotless I am wasting water.

My neighbour doesn't recycle, she doesn't get it (memory is a bit sketchy) I would often take carrier bags of stuff out of her recycling bin, put the recycling back in and put the rest in her general waste. So pleased when she gave up using the recycling bin but no way am I going to sort her general waste.

A few years back the Council prosecuted people for not using the recycling bins and putting it in the general waste. I kind of wish they would do it these days.

Cornettoninja · 14/05/2019 18:01

My council only picks up general waste fortnightly from half sized bins (unless you have six people in residence) which is a good incentive to recycle. In truth I probably wouldn’t be as meticulous with ours if we had a weekly collection. I’d be well chuffed to have a recycling wheelie bin again since our draft council will only pick up their own special clear recycling sacks that are a bugger to get hold of (and I question the green credentials of more plastic bags....).

It’s the ease of access to another bin that’s probably encouraging your neighbours. Maybe drop a note/have a sneaky word with the owner through the door with the owner next time you see them about locking it away if they’re not there. I wouldn’t want to deal with somebody else’s bin gunk.

Bonniegirlie · 14/05/2019 18:05

Report them to the council anonymously, our council are hot on recycling.

OkOkWhatsNext · 14/05/2019 18:08

Is that really true about the rinsing thing? I’m sure i’ve seen somewhere that glass, metal and plastic recycling gets washed as it’s sorted. How do they check each it’s anyway? And yes surely nothing gets recycled if everything gets chucked if there’s contamination, there must be loads of unrinsed stuff in one lorry load of recycling??

Original poster
DoAllMeerkatsComeFromRussia · 14/05/2019 18:10

I get people who are elderly or disabled not being able to manage it. I even get when you're ridiculously busy that you might not do it all the time but to not do it at all, not ever, seems ridiculously selfish to me. Especially as they clearly can't fit all their rubbish in the landfill bins as they're nicking other people's.

OP posts:
Original poster
DoAllMeerkatsComeFromRussia · 14/05/2019 18:15

I might see if I can move my other neighbour's bin out of sight. She's not been around for a while as her husband died a couple of years back and I don't think her heart's really in it now, bless her. But you're right about it not being fair on her to put up with gunk from their rubbish. And yes, if they don't have easy access it might force them to use the other bins just to get rid of stuff. Good idea Smile

OP posts:
LarryGreysonsDoor · 14/05/2019 18:16

It all depends on your local facilities and what they can do.

Remember that in many places it is sorted by hand, which is why some places won’t take glass in their recycling.

One tin of beans not properly rinsed won’t ruin the entire bin lorry load of rubbish but something big like a full bottle of oil might.

YetIWill · 14/05/2019 19:02

YANBU, OP. I'd dislike them a little bit automatically for this, to be honest. I know a couple of people who don't recycle, and it's basically because they're lazy and don't want to have to sort it out.

I also know it's not really any of my business, obviously.

PookieDo · 14/05/2019 19:09

My opposite neighbour does not recycle food. She never puts that bin out

In my area they give you equal sized landfill and recycling bins and it encourages me to use both because 1 on its own isn’t enough. How big is the recycling bin is it a box? As I think the size is offputting personally

zwellers · 14/05/2019 19:22

Why do you even care. It's not your rubbish and has no impact on you. Are you the bin police?.

Original poster
DoAllMeerkatsComeFromRussia · 14/05/2019 19:26

All the bins are the same size- 240 litres I think they are, so pretty big. One is compostables- so food and garden waste, one is recyclables- plastics, paper and card, aluminium cans, aerosols, glass bottles and jars etc and one is for everything that can't go in the first two. My general waste bin is rarely full and there are five adults in our house (youngest is 15 and 6'5" and eats like a horse!)

OP posts:
Geminijes · 14/05/2019 19:28

The council lifts the lids of any bins here and inspects the content before emptying them. If there is something in the bin that shouldn't be there then the bin isn't emptied and a label is stuck onto the bin explaining why.

Whatdoesitmatteranyway · 14/05/2019 19:28

You’d hate to me next to me then.

We don’t recycle either and have two bins - mainly because we thought ours was missing when we moved in so asked for one then found the missing bin in the loft. Go figure that one out.

I just can’t be doing with piles of recycling hanging around - just easier to put it in a bin bag and then the bing bag into the wheelie. I certainly would not be washing it out. Better things to do with my time than that - maybe prisoners and the long term feckless unemployed could be used to do it that way they can contribute something to society and save those that work from doing it.

I’ll be dead before it matters anyway

CottonSock · 14/05/2019 19:30

My old neighbours did this and it pissed me right of.

slipperywhensparticus · 14/05/2019 19:31

I would love to have a food waste/garden waste bin my compost bin needs watering and tending to even my wormery turned high maintenance at one point

woodhill · 14/05/2019 19:32

Yes I think everyone should try to recycle and it is lazy not to.

Geminijes · 14/05/2019 19:33

I’ll be dead before it matters anyway

What an attitude to have.

Just think of yourself and don't bother thinking of future generations. Very selfish!