Neighbour's plastic cup and Covid19

[Annarosez]

I have OCD and was just wondering how a "normal person" would deal with this!

A few days ago when it was recycling collection day a plastic cup from one of our neighbour's recycling bags was blown by the wind onto our front lawn. With Covid-19 spreading through both saliva and droplets, this made me a bit concerned (i.e. a relatively large amount of saliva like that could easily contain thousands+ viral particles and it can last on plastics for 3-9 days) so I left it for 3/4 days and then we've just poked the cup down into the street (with a stick) close to our bin for bin collection tomorrow. This obviously looks a bit insane and got me wondering what everyone else would do?

I too would pick it up and put it in the recycling rather than risk it blowing down the street.

If you weren’t happy to do it with your hands you could have used a bit of kitchen roll and then wash your hands.

I do have diagnosed OCD btw, on medication & my hands are red raw from washing, but I still would have picked it up.

Not related to CV but if there is unsavoury dropped rubbish outside ever I'd just pick it up with something else and bin both. That's what you need to do. I opened a dog poo bin with a tissue today and somehow managed to swing both poo and tissue in before it slammed on me. Was close though. Handwashing is your friend. Presumably there are fewer "normal colds" etc now with all this handwashing (many of which are caused by a type of coronavirus too)

I have OCD too. I would have used a bag or disposable glove to pick it up then binned the bag/glove as well.

Thanks Crankysaurus. It's really difficult all of the time but much harder at the moment!

My thinking is that it's actually less dangerous to waIk close to other people than to have close contact with cup covered in saliva. Chucking the cup out by hand, even with a handwash afterwards would mean transferring germs to the front door, tap etc.

I don't have OCD but would also have put a bag on my hand and picked it up through that. Then washed my hands.

@JemNadies I reread the original post and realised my reply my reply was harsh and asked mumsnet to delete it.

Also read a PP had said it helps people with OCD to rationalise things by asking others so I stand corrected.

I would have put my gloves on, picked it up and put it in my bin, then disposed of the gloves

I would have picked it up and then washed my hands.

Yep. I'd have picked it up and put it in the bin and then washed my hands and thought no more of it.

OCD is horrendous your brain is your own worst enemy. My mum had around food and would prepare our dinner put it out we would start eating it and she would whip it away convinced she had contaminated it and then the whole thing woulf start again. Its a wonder I don't have food issues. Being a very non understanding teenager I once ran upstairs with my plate of food and locked myself in the bathroom and savoured every bit of it with my mum pleading at the door. As an adult I married a man with OCD who feels like he has been out at night and has accidentally run people over. Its a tough mental health condition so OP while your reaction is unusual to most people OCD is not rational it is compulsive and cant be helped. Give yourself a break.

Pick it up, put it in the bin, scrub your hands. The bin men here wouldn’t pick that up and the street cleaners aren’t working at the moment.

a virus left under the sun could cause it to dry out, causing the membrane to tear, and this would make it unviable

UV light destroys viruses.

Put a freezer bag on your hand then bin both cup and bag and then your hands dont touch it at all

Thanks- good to know that most people would just chuck it, wash their hands and not worry about it too much.

Also thanks for the kind responses RE. Obsessive Compulsive Disorder.

If you can poke it with a stick, you could probably get it on the end of the stick and drop it into your open bin. I don't think the bin men will pick it up so it will just blow away.

OMG this must all be SO incredibly difficult for you OCD is bad enough in 'normal' times 🌷

I'm massively stressed out about getting this (especially as I have underlying issues) but like most others I'd have picked it up (very carefully with fingertips) then washed my hands.

No need to use gloves - it's a waste!

(I would just pick it up though :))

@cdtaylornats, yes I did know about UV denaturing viruses but I wasn't sure how much UV would be needed and for how long!

I had to pick up some chewing gum ( not belonging to any of us) from my garden yesterday. I used a dettol wipe, put them in the bin and then washed my hands. My antibacterial wipes are my friend at the moment

Get a litter picking up thing. I have one as I can't bend down easily and it is great. Only about £8.

I would of picked it up, binned it, washed my hands and thought no more about it 🤷🏻‍♀️

@Josette77 the thing is people can and do have OCD in different ways. I also have it but mine is focused around bad things happening (people I care about being harmed etc.) and having to do rituals to prevent said things happening not hygiene necessarily so this scenario wouldnt torment me in the same way it would OP.

Sorry to hear about your OCD OP. You said 'our' lawn and 'we've' kicked it down the street so whoever you live with could have picked up, binned it and washed their hands?