To have told these guys to get off my driveway? (Bin)

[TheViewFromTheCheapSeats]

Thursday is bin day, wheelie bins are out at the boundary for collection. Other days my bins are near the kitchen door as it practical, round the back/at the side corner of the house.
Last night (Tuesday) in the dark I was a bit freaked out to hear people right outside my back door about 8:30pm. Just me and the kids home. Two guys, one with a clipboard, one with a torch looking in a bin were there.
They’d walked down my drive and down the side of my house to look in bins by the back door (you’d just about see them from the front as one bin was sticking out).
I was a bit shocked, thought they could be identify thieves / burglars casing at first and shouted ‘oi, get out! Out! What you doing?! Get out my garden!’ out of the upstairs window.
I followed to the front door and opened it and the guy was all defensive-that it’s his job to check bins for the council to see we haven’t put anything in them not allowed. Apparently everyone else understands this and has no problem/ he doesn’t expect to be shouted at.
I didn’t swear or carry on shouting, but I think most people would shout at two guys in the dark they found rummaging in their back garden? I just stepped out and locked the side gate and told them they could check in collection days as much as they like, but they have no right to enter as they please. Speaking to others they are definitely from the council.

1. In the dark wandering around houses isn’t on
   
2. What is in my bin outside collection days is my business, the kids sometimes make recycling mistakes and before I put the bins out I check the rubbish is in the correct bin
   
3. The bin men will only take the bins from the boundary, not even two foot down the drive. So why can these guys walk around the house?
   

He also popped a letter through the door after a few minutes that’s a warning letter about the recycling, threatening an £80 fine if we put out non-recycling items again. He’s written in the blank space there was ‘food packaging’ in the recycling bin. Apparently they have recorded this. I’ve been to check the in bin this morning and I can’t see anything in the wheelie bin that’s not allowed! There’s food packaging like clean Tins etc, but nothing not on the website list. Also, the bloody bin wasn’t even out for collection.

Aibu to write a complaint? Partly regarding the first step of an £80 fine!

[AmyDudley]

It is to do with recycling targets - we have just received a very shirty letter from our council about what can and can't be put in the recycling and dire threats of what will happen if these rules are transgressed.
Problem is council insist we put our bins out the night before and that they are put at the end of the alley, not outside gates. So anyone can come along during the night and stuff anything in your bin.

I would complain about this behaviour - they shouldn't be in your garden without permission going through your bin they could be anyone and they need to stop that, it is quite intimidating.

If councils keep behaving like this people will stop bothering to recycle and just stick everything inside a black bag and put it in their general waste bin, so the result will be even less recycling happening/

[Missey85]

I live in Australia and my council does this too they leave the letter and won't empty the bins that week

[ElftonWednesday]

I'd write to the company and let them know they are trespassing if they look in the bins again without knocking on the door to ask permission first, and cc the local councillor. Permission which would not be given anyway. And that I reserve my right to take legal action against them.

[ElftonWednesday]

I think the underlying legislation does need amending though, as the way I read it, S46 of the Environmental Protection Act does allow councils to levy fines (if they give a warning notice first) for simply placing waste in the wrong receptacle- it should only be relevant if it is placed out for collection that way. And I can't see anything that allows the council or their agents to go onto private land to make random checks.

[thenightsky]

If councils keep behaving like this people will stop bothering to recycle and just stick everything inside a black bag and put it in their general waste bin, so the result will be even less recycling happening/

The covert bin police are out in force here too. Result is not better recycling, it is horrendous levels of fly tipping in rural areas instead.

[AdobeWanKenobi]

@AmyDudley

It is to do with recycling targets - we have just received a very shirty letter from our council about what can and can't be put in the recycling and dire threats of what will happen if these rules are transgressed.
Problem is council insist we put our bins out the night before and that they are put at the end of the alley, not outside gates. So anyone can come along during the night and stuff anything in your bin.

I would complain about this behaviour - they shouldn't be in your garden without permission going through your bin they could be anyone and they need to stop that, it is quite intimidating.

If councils keep behaving like this people will stop bothering to recycle and just stick everything inside a black bag and put it in their general waste bin, so the result will be even less recycling happening/

Again, the simplest solution to this is a gravity bin lock.

[BrightYellowDaffodil]

Sometimes they just target everyone in an area if there have been problems there - we got a shitty letter from the council threatening fines for having “prohibited” items in our recycling bin. I sent them a photo of the bin contents which consisted of cardboard and plastic drinks bottles and invited them to tell me which items contravened the rules. They rowed back and said the letter was sent in error but several of my neighbours seemed to have received the same letter.

In OP’s position I’d absolutely be complaining to the council, the company, my MP etc etc. it’s completely unacceptable for them to be coming onto private property and rummaging though bins.

[petshihtzu]

A king of similar but not really similar thing happened to me at uni. Our bins were overflowing (house of 8) and all the bins of all the student houses were.lumped.together and neighbours would put stuff in ours so they got full which meant our bags had no space and we put them outside but next to the bin. The police came round and started literally opening the bags and found old packages with our names on them (like boohoo bags or amazon parcel things) and fined the names they found. :///

[TheViewFromTheCheapSeats]

‘What do I mean by food packaging’

Well that’s exactly my point. The letter says there was ‘food packaging’ in the bin. As far as I can see, having checked the website, everything in my bin is allowed to be in the bin. Rinsed tins, milk cartoons etc. No foil, greasy pizza boxes or cellophane

It doesn’t say ‘cellophane’ or whatever, just ‘food packaging’. I have no idea what they decided shouldn’t have been in there.

[Collaborate]

If I were you I'd write in and point out that there is no ban on "food packaging" being in the bin. They may as well have said you had "stuff" in the bin.

[A8mint]

what makes you so sure it isnt a scam?

[MeetMeAtOurSpot]

@Teateaandmoretea

All these people saying 'they are lucky I'd have called the police'

They'll be lucky snooping round the back of houses in the dark in the evening if they don't get a gun pulled on them somewhere.

Madness of course YANBU.

Where on earth do you live where that would happen?
BIL goes hunting and has guns but they are, as required, locked up in his gun safe. He certainly wouldn’t grab one to threaten someone snooping in his bin!

I clearly lead a sheltered life because it wouldn’t occur to me that this would even happen.

[iheartredsquirrels]

Hate to ask but would this have dragged on if you'd been a bloke with grazed knuckles and low brow? You know the type.

[bigbluebus]

I'd have been pretty freaked by that too OP. Our bins are behind a locked gate so if they'd reached over and let themselves in I'd have given them a piece of my mind. I once had a takeaway delivery driver trying to get into my back garden as he was trying to deliver to number 8 which he couldn't find (due to ridiculous numbering on our street) so he was looking between number 7 and 9 convinced 8 must be in our back garden! I sent 6ft 4 DS out to see what a random man was doing wandering around our driveway on that occasion!

Our refuse operatives quickly lift the bin lid and glance in before wheeling the bin to the truck - they don't delve into the contents.
Only time I've seen contents examined was at the household recycling centre in my Mum's council when we were clearing her house out. Every bag or box had to be tipped out onto a table for the operatives to scour before you were allowed to put anything into landfill.

You'll probably find they've got some ancient right which dates back to the time when bins were collected from the back of your house in the days before wheely bins!

[mumda]

My local council are completely useless. But even they wouldn't send anyone round at night to go in gardens.
Completely wrong on many levels.
I would want the council to justify it if it's for real.

To improve our recycling the council mam emptied rubbish from one of the recycling bins onto the pavement to highlight what residents were putting in wrong bin. Street looked a mess after and I reckon it was technically fly tipping just dumping it. But during daylight and just ahead of bin men.

[Lisa46]

Which council is it?

[Ifrozethehoumous]

It’s outrageous - goes with Skysblue’s advice. They were probably up to no good anyway.

[marktayloruk]

Binmen should pick up all rubbish.It can be separated later.

[kazlau]

I’d agree with the majority here that your bins weren’t kerbside so no offence had been committed (I liken it to shoplifting - you need to attempt to leave the store). They have no right to breach your perimeter without permission or at least warning you. How dare someone creep around the rear of your property in darkness at 8.30pm. My ex husband once hit an intruder with a rake that he found at our back door. Police did suggest it wasn’t the best thing to do but he wasn’t charged. I suggest your “bin inspectors” were lucky not to encounter a similar personality at your door!!

[Redburnett]

Get your local councillor involved.

[TillyTopper]

They are doing a recce, I'd report to the Council and when they say it's not them, go to the police.

[DaphneDeloresMoorhead]

This sounds extremely dodgy to me and more like some people organising themselves to look like council workers. Sounds like distraction burglars/scammers.
Everything about it, the timing, the secrecy, all of it, all sounds highly sus

[lilly7221w]

I live in a rural location, sometimes they refuse to take my recycling because one item is in the wrong box.

It's not me, it's someone walking past and tossing a coke can in my glass box.

Obviously I could just drop it at the end of the lane ( where everyone dumps rubbish) and call them. I'm sure it's cheaper for them to send a van to collect it🙄
Obviously I don't, but god councils are stupid!!

[DaphneDeloresMoorhead]

Contact the council - and in the highly likely scenario they know nothing about it report it to the police and put it up on those FB groups.
Scammers are getting increasingly sophisticated

[RememberSeptember]

@TheViewFromTheCheapSeats

Thursday is bin day, wheelie bins are out at the boundary for collection. Other days my bins are near the kitchen door as it practical, round the back/at the side corner of the house.
Last night (Tuesday) in the dark I was a bit freaked out to hear people right outside my back door about 8:30pm. Just me and the kids home. Two guys, one with a clipboard, one with a torch looking in a bin were there.
They’d walked down my drive and down the side of my house to look in bins by the back door (you’d just about see them from the front as one bin was sticking out).
I was a bit shocked, thought they could be identify thieves / burglars casing at first and shouted ‘oi, get out! Out! What you doing?! Get out my garden!’ out of the upstairs window.
I followed to the front door and opened it and the guy was all defensive-that it’s his job to check bins for the council to see we haven’t put anything in them not allowed. Apparently everyone else understands this and has no problem/ he doesn’t expect to be shouted at.
I didn’t swear or carry on shouting, but I think most people would shout at two guys in the dark they found rummaging in their back garden? I just stepped out and locked the side gate and told them they could check in collection days as much as they like, but they have no right to enter as they please. Speaking to others they are definitely from the council.

1. In the dark wandering around houses isn’t on
   
2. What is in my bin outside collection days is my business, the kids sometimes make recycling mistakes and before I put the bins out I check the rubbish is in the correct bin
   
3. The bin men will only take the bins from the boundary, not even two foot down the drive. So why can these guys walk around the house?
   

He also popped a letter through the door after a few minutes that’s a warning letter about the recycling, threatening an £80 fine if we put out non-recycling items again. He’s written in the blank space there was ‘food packaging’ in the recycling bin. Apparently they have recorded this. I’ve been to check the in bin this morning and I can’t see anything in the wheelie bin that’s not allowed! There’s food packaging like clean Tins etc, but nothing not on the website list. Also, the bloody bin wasn’t even out for collection.

Aibu to write a complaint? Partly regarding the first step of an £80 fine!

Goodness this must have been pretty scary, hope you're okay. They could have knocked your door. I'm not sure if they're allowed to come into your property - surely they can only check the bins that have been put out for collection?