Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Only the apps you allow.

Meet the Other Phone.
Only the apps you allow.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To think the bin men should have knocked on the door and apologised?

108 replies

Elderflower14 · 23/09/2020 11:15

We've been having lots of problems with our bin collections... The last two times our black bin has been missed... We have to log it online..
Had to log it twice this time as it missed the first time. Went out this morning withy NDN blackberrying.. Mum was at home.. Came home to find our over the road neighbour coming out looking shocked. Evidently the bin lorry came when neighbours wife was in the garden. The lorry picked up the bin and tipped the rubbish in, not only that the bin went in and got crushed...
I only knew because my neighbour told me... As my Mum said we would have wondered what had happened to it..!
I've rung the council up and ordered a new bin. I did also say that it would have been courteous for them to ring the bell and explain what had happened to Mum... AIBU??

OP posts:
cookiemonster5 · 23/09/2020 11:28

They wouldn't have necessarily known who's bin it was.

It happens quite frequently according to my council when I called to order a new bin when mine went missing. Mine wasn't crushed but my next four neighbour was just an arsehole and decided to hide my bin for a few days.

Original poster
Elderflower14 · 23/09/2020 11:30

@cookiemonster5 It was on our drive!!

OP posts:
JamieLeeCurtains · 23/09/2020 11:30

You realise this has turned my world upside down? I always thought that if there's one thing I could rely on, it's for my bins not to get crushed and disappeared at random Shock

I thought the 'blackberrying' reference meant pissing about on one of those old mobile devices at first, bothering the council about bins. I got too ahead of myself in the story.

lazylockdowner · 23/09/2020 11:32

My bun fell into the lorry once, I came home to no bun called the council thinking it had been stolen and they asked my address and said it had been logged by the bin men as falling into truck and new one would be with me the next day... just call the council it's no big deal

stillfeelingmad · 23/09/2020 11:32

I used to work for customer services for the local council, it is a real thing and can happen occasionally. I think it's if the handles are weakened/broken as thats what the hooks go on, bin men would usually log it and we would have a record if the person rang in

dementedpixie · 23/09/2020 11:33

I've had a bin go missing that way too, it does happen from time to time. I had to get a new bin too and no, the bin men didn't knock the door to tell me

mytimeonline · 23/09/2020 11:34

@Elderflower14

Well the bin is nowhere in site... Man I spoke to didn't seem surprised when I said it had been crushed...
Haha. It is not where in sight on that site huh
GrapeSodas · 23/09/2020 11:35

Broken hooks?

GrapeSodas · 23/09/2020 11:37

Blackberrying = swinging Wink

Zaphodsotherhead · 23/09/2020 11:39

Maybe it's dependant on area?

Our bin lorry the bins are just emptied in to the main body of the lorry, no hooks. But because we're very rural and the lorry has to go up farm drives, it's quite a small lorry (it fell off a farm driveway once and had to be towed away - that was quite a day! We don't get out much...).

JamieLeeCurtains · 23/09/2020 11:40

Sorry to BOAST.
I've had a go of our bin lorry (more a demonstration but for bragging purpose)
AND one of our bin men dresses like Elvis (Not his hiviz obs but always a duck quiff and smartly turned out)

Oh yeah I live on the edge.

I'm jealous of you having a Binman Elvis, @TheQueef. Ours are like Little & Large, and the driver looks like Paul Daniels. They don't crush our bins.

I live in a terraced road and we are supposed to write our house numbers on the big stickers the council gives us for the bins using waterproof marker pen. I was very excited once in Home Bargains to find those massive wheelie bin number stickers, so I've got them on now too. I also use bin deodorant.

It really is a rock 'n roll lifestyle here.

JamieLeeCurtains · 23/09/2020 11:42

@Zaphodsotherhead

Maybe it's dependant on area?

Our bin lorry the bins are just emptied in to the main body of the lorry, no hooks. But because we're very rural and the lorry has to go up farm drives, it's quite a small lorry (it fell off a farm driveway once and had to be towed away - that was quite a day! We don't get out much...).

See, I think that's a really interesting bin lorry story Grin
Todaythiscouldbe · 23/09/2020 11:43

You'll ask on Twitter? Really? This is all a bit of a non issue isn't it

Pinkshrimp · 23/09/2020 11:43

@lughnasadh

You and your neighbours are easily shocked.

Order a new bin. No drama. Job done.

^as above.
pussycatinboots · 23/09/2020 11:44

@Zaphodsotherhead

Maybe it's dependant on area?

Our bin lorry the bins are just emptied in to the main body of the lorry, no hooks. But because we're very rural and the lorry has to go up farm drives, it's quite a small lorry (it fell off a farm driveway once and had to be towed away - that was quite a day! We don't get out much...).

You can get extra narrow bin lorries.

My uncle used to work organising the rounds for our Council.

Chloemol · 23/09/2020 11:46

They probably won’t know who the bin belongs to, ours picks up two bins at once, they won’t know whose is whose

It happened to me, mine went missing when I got home from work. The bin men had noted a bin went in but they had to wait for me to call as they didn’t know who it belonged to

They sent me a new bin

No big issue

BashfulClam · 23/09/2020 11:46

Happened to our bin. I called up as it was missing and the woman said ‘yes it’s been logged we’ll send you a new one!’ It was free as not our fault.

mediumperiperi · 23/09/2020 11:46

I saw a YouTube video of a wheelie bin getting crushed then left on the curb.

I wouldn't expect a knock on the door. Most people would be wary of contact with someone in a risky job (risky as in COVID) and if you're on MN you might be one of the surprising many who don't answer the door unless someone has booked an appointment to do so.

Your neighbour needs to get a grip if that is shocking.

TwixTwixtwoo · 23/09/2020 11:50

I watched an old episode of Common as Muck the other day, made me feel quite nostalgic for the days they had to handball those old metal dustbins into the wagon although I'm sure it's better for the bin men these days. I've never known them crush a bin but it sounds like there's a system in place for when it happens OP and I can see that they wouldn't have time to knock. Our bin is old and knackered so I'd be quite happy to get a new one tbh Smile

SpecialWGM · 23/09/2020 11:55

@damnthatanxiety

Too much random info. I spent a good minute trying to figure out what 'blackberrying' was a euphemism for. Would have been much easier to understand if you'd kept it brief. Bin men crushed your bin.
Rude
TheQueef · 23/09/2020 11:55

I'm a bit panicky now JLC I didn't know they could kill bins.
I've had one of mine since 1993 (the crazy days when you could buy an extra bin for £15) so I'm very attached to Johnny Five. It's already split on all four corners.
Another worry I don't need Grin

Lookatthemshine · 23/09/2020 11:56

This has happened my wheelie bin twice in the last 16 years or so. Just phone your Council/Local Authority and report it. The bin men record when it happens and advise the office. They provide a nice new bin free of charge - no big drama necessary.

MJMG2015 · 23/09/2020 11:58

@damnthatanxiety

Too much random info. I spent a good minute trying to figure out what 'blackberrying' was a euphemism for. Would have been much easier to understand if you'd kept it brief. Bin men crushed your bin.
It's a CHAT site, you might be more suited to Quora.

@Elderflower14. Yes, you're right, it would have been helpful/polite. But I wouldn't expect it! Hope they haven't charged you for a replacement!

JamieLeeCurtains · 23/09/2020 11:59

Our binmen aren't allowed to knock on doors after the Great Christmas Box Scandal of 2013. Obviously with covid the rules are really strict on this. Plus they have very limited time to complete their round - efficiency, austerity, misery etc.

Mooserp · 23/09/2020 12:02

Did you get many blackberries?

Swipe left for the next trending thread