To ask my neighbours if somethings wrong?

[spencerprattisaprat]

New neighbours moved in about 7 months ago, ever since then we have the routine - we take the bins out and they bring the bins in.

It was never spoken about but it's what we did with previous owners and seemed to be working fine past 7 months. However, past two weeks, although we have taken the bins out, my neighbours have only taken their own bins in.

AIBU to approach them asking if everything is okay? Or should I just stop taking their bins out? Why would they suddenly stop, pretty rude to be honest.

My bins are kept behind a locked gate. I am mobility restricted and put them out only when absolutely necessary as they are heavy and clumsy. Mostly I ask a relative to put the bin out and retrieve it as soon as the wagon has gone past.

There have been a couple of instances pre covid of council "bin police" going up people's drives and even into their gardens looking in bins and inspecting the contents. Presumably they were searching for people using the recycling bins incorrectly. Saw them on the security cameras and they seemed a bit miffed as they could not get up my drive because of locked gate. One neighbour challenged them and threatened to call the police when they refused to produce ID. They left very quickly.

People can be very sensitive of who comes onto their property

If it's all you have to worry about then life is ok OP. Maybe they don't want to touch your bin (COVID, bin juice etc), maybe they don't need/want some group hug bin arrangement or maybe they're in a new one with a preferred neighbour? Whatever the reason, just look to your own bins, it's really not a big thing.

I also have a mystery neighbour that de ices my car. If I go out at 6am or 9am, it's been scraped for me

Could definitely do with one of them, much more useful than putting the bins out

@JunoStarship it's very useful! No idea who it is. Even when I worked odd shifts and went out at all hours it would be perfectly de iced for me and any snow removed from the roof too

I'd find that a bit annoying even if well intentioned - you might have a last minute bag to put in it or something. They probably just want to do their own.

Tis Bin Gravy oop north Cat and disco rice (maggots).
I hate the term bin juice! but disco rice they shall always be from now on 😂

I also have a mystery neighbour that de ices my car. If I go out at 6am or 9am, it's been scraped for me
What a treasure!

Although I normally just throw a bowl of warm water over the windscreen.

Maybe knock and discuss?

Oh goodness, I used to have a neighbour who decided we had this sort of arrangement. Sometimes though if I was running late for something, I would quickly move my bin off of the pavement and go. I didn’t always have time to take both bins back to our houses. My neighbour was very hostile towards me in the following days. Don’t be like that OP. It’s something and nothing, just sort your own bins out and stop thinking you’re doing them a favour and then getting annoyed when they don’t return it.

@spencerprattisaprat

New neighbours moved in about 7 months ago, ever since then we have the routine - we take the bins out and they bring the bins in.

It was never spoken about but it's what we did with previous owners and seemed to be working fine past 7 months. However, past two weeks, although we have taken the bins out, my neighbours have only taken their own bins in.

AIBU to approach them asking if everything is okay? Or should I just stop taking their bins out? Why would they suddenly stop, pretty rude to be honest.

They probably got annoyed having to walk the kitchen bin bag to the pavement each week as some bugger had taken their sodding bin out!

@user1654236589623652

Maybe they had enough of having no control over what time their bins are taken out?

It's a bit weird to start doing something like that without communicating first.

This.

Id find it annoying that people interfere with my own routine. I suspect they just want to do their own bin. It's not rude in the slightest.

@LesLavandes

Maybe knock and discuss?

How Awwakward for them would that conversation be some weirdo turning up at their door telling them they will be taking their bin out

Just when I thought I had seen everything on here.

Pretty rude for them to stop taking your bin in? Are you for real @spencerprattisaprat ?! Glad I'm not YOUR neighbour. I bet they didn't want to start doing it in the first place.

Bet you have been bashing them all over facebook haven't you?

I seem to be embroiled in a bin war with my elderly neighbour (we share an alley between our back gardens). I have no issue with putting her bin out when I do mine if she leaves it in the alley. She used to listen for me (considering that she reckons she's deaf) and ambush me with zero social distancing if I tried to put mine out while it was still light and would talk at me for ages, not ideal with a young child in the house. Started putting it out after dark and had told her if she leaves it out for me I don't mind bumping it down the steps past two gates and onto the street. She's now positioning her bin tight against the outer alley locked gate (which she used to leave unlocked if she got there first) so I have to fanny about pulling hers back to unlock and then take out. If I don't retrieve mine from the street the next day according to when it suits her she bangs about and puts it in various positions that would block anyone trying to access my front door. She's pushing 80 and I cba with bin wars. I already have to put up with her tv on max volume every night, she's deaf until bins are involved

Always someone with a snippy comment
I think it’s a nice gesture doing the bins but I would leave it now.
I stay in a small street and our row take each other’s bins out it’s called being neighbourly and not one person has complained..
leave them to it some people are just suspicious when people show kindness .

@Crammingitallin

Always someone with a snippy comment I think it’s a nice gesture doing the bins but I would leave it now. I stay in a small street and our row take each other’s bins out it’s called being neighbourly and not one person has complained.. leave them to it some people are just suspicious when people show kindness .

We are all the same in our neighbourhood. We put others bins out, bring them in, others put ours out etc etc. It just seems churlish to just bring your own in/out when you have a free hand.

This reminds of when my DH and I first moved into our previous home. Our next-door neighbour had always mown the lawn for the previous owner (who was a friend) and thought he would be continuing to do that for us. He was most surprised when my DH asked him what he was doing mowing our lawn? And even more so when he was told that we didn’t need or want him to do that for us.

You don’t have an arrangement with the new owners just because you had one with the previous owners. So from now on just put out your own bin to be collected.

Out of interest @Mittens030869 why didn’t you want your neighbour to do that?

@SatsumasOrClementines

I wouldn't have minded myself, actually. But my DH did mind, as he likes to mow the lawn himself, and is a keen gardener.

Knowing my DH, he was probably very polite about it (I wasn't there) and there were no hard feelings.

Thanks @Mittens030869, I was curious 😂. As very much not a keen gardener I would have leapt at the offer but it makes sense that your DH wanted to do it himself.

I always put our bins out sunday morning ready for the binmen on monday. And bring mine and elderly NDNs back in. Im too lazy to move the bins in the dark on a sunday evening. I forgot to move them last week and 2 neighbours texted me and the opposite knocked to check that I was alive!
Real curtain twitchers here

I wouldn't normally bother to read a 6 page post about a non-existent bin agreement but this post has been a wonderful distraction from the terrible day I'm having. 😂 Thanks OP and everyone for the funny responses

This thread really had potential; bins, neighbour disagreements, 'Bindependence Day', but now the OP has ruined it by seeming lovely and sensible and admitting she got a bit too 'binvolved'. What a shame.