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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To be so upset and surprised someone swapped their full bin with our empty one!!

167 replies

Sailormooncloudylemonade · 03/02/2022 22:27

I’ve lived in flats all my life until I moved to our house less than 2 months ago.

The bin collection situation was all new to us and we spent 90£ on new bins as previous owners didn’t leave their bins behind.

To prevent my brand new bins from smelling I put a liner on them and sprinkled with a nice smelling powder I bought online.

We leave the bins at the front usually as we are not used to open the 2 side gates that give access to the garden and find very tricky to use them.

The collection was yesterday and just minutes ago I headed to my food bin to put my compostable bag with food waste on it to find that bin completely FULL UP without a liner or compostable bags or anything. Just food waste directly on the bin 🤢

I am so upset…

Is this a thing or I’m just unlucky?
I see so many neighbours leaving their bins outside I thought it was ok?

What should I do to the loose food waste? Do I have to put it in compostable bags myself or will they collect it like that?

I am reading the council’s website but it’s not clear and there is no number to call. The only email I found about bins is to order new ones so not sure who to contact and what to do to someone else’s rubbish!

It might sound silly but I’m so sad my clean new bin has been swapped by an old stinky one that I now have to sort out and deep clean. I don’t even have space to put my own food waste for the rest of the week 😭

Any advice will be very helpful

OP posts:
ThumbWitchesAbroad · 04/02/2022 09:16

I remember when I lived in the UK that new bins had to be paid for by the householder in our area, unless the old bin had accidentally fallen into the bin truck (yes, this happened to me).

However, I painted my house number on the shiny new one with house paint immediately! Bunch of chancers in my road - I'd already had it go missing once before but it was easy to find and recognise then (not new) and I painted my number on it then too. Big numbers, bright coloured house paint, lid and side.

Original poster
Sailormooncloudylemonade · 04/02/2022 09:18

@Tilltheend99

Whoever stole your bin is a cf. But equally, I dislike how the majority of people round where I live just leave their bins blocking the street all day every day. No one wants to be manoeuvring their pram or wheelchair around someone’s stinky bin and end up in the road.

It used to be considered rude to not bring the bins in (maybe 20yrs ago now)

We have a decent sized front garden so the bin only go near the road on collection day 😉
OP posts:
Inspectorslack · 04/02/2022 09:20

The bin men dont leave the bins next to the houses where they were lifted from though? My bin could be 3 or 4 houses up or down.

How do you know what one is yours if it isn’t numbered?

(I had a sticker. They pulled it off. I now have my number spray painted on)

LakieLady · 04/02/2022 09:24

@Iwonderifiwonderwhy

Bin cleaners?! Never heard of this, having lived in 5 different UK towns plus London.

I am in awe of a town so clean it has bin cleaners.

I've never heard of bin cleaners either!

Mind you, our council don't even provide bins. You have to buy your own, or just use bin bags.

Norgie · 04/02/2022 09:25

I have my bin cleaned every bin emptying day and put a liner in. I also have my house number painted on in big white numbers.
Someone stole it and on the next bin emptying day it was put in the collection point full of stinking rubbish!!
Paint your house number on and keep behind your locked gate op, though that's not guaranteed to stop bin day theft unless you can get to collect it as soon as it's emptied.

moose62 · 04/02/2022 09:25

Go and buy a new bin...paint your number on very clearly on the lid and sides. On bin day, very early, put the rancid bin out further down the road and your clean, numbered one, outside your house. Deny all knowledge.

Twolostsoulsswimminginafishbow · 04/02/2022 09:30

It happens. Don’t let it get to you. Get a sticker or paint your number on it. Those bin cleaning rounds can be very profitable if there isn’t one in your area. Ours also cleans driveways. I only get my green bin cleaned (that’s the household waste one.) The garden waste and recycling bins are fine. It gets collected once a fortnight but cleaned once a month. It costs four pounds but it’s get washed and perfumed and put back where it goes.

ImWearingReallyJudgyPants · 04/02/2022 09:39

Not entirely the point, but why on earth would anyone have their bin cleaned, ever? That is batshit.

Rummikub · 04/02/2022 09:40

In summer it was great. Hate a stinky bin.

Foxglovers · 04/02/2022 09:44

I had this issue and bought him locks!! Super annoying but they were worth it!

AllOfUsAreDead · 04/02/2022 09:46

This thread is hilarious. It's mad how many people get so upset over a bin. And lining them with bags and putting powder in so they don't smell? Grin Also how are these binmen managing to just throw bins all around the road? They manage to do ours properly here, it's about the only public service done right actually come to think of it.

LifeInAHamsterWheel · 04/02/2022 09:47

OP I'm so sorry you, this has annoyed me so much! You tried to do the "right" thing and some CF has just stolen your bin Shock I am raging on your behalf. I hope you get it back (and don't be shy about it, you'll easily spot your brand new bin!) and when you do, follow the advice here and hopefully it won't happen again. Good luck.

Hootmon · 04/02/2022 09:50

Someone has stolen both my recycling bins TWICE, and the most recent ones has my house number sticker. It belongs to the council. I've been eyeing up all the neighbours for some sticker residue...no luck so far.

gluenotsoup · 04/02/2022 09:51

Yes, bin cleaners! £2 per bin, once a fortnight, and the disinfectant they use smacks lovely for days.
I didn’t realise not everywhere has them. 😳, not often I feel like I’ve made it in life 😂

Toanewstart22 · 04/02/2022 09:53

* I am so upset… *

Confused
Rummikub · 04/02/2022 09:58

Op paid £90 for new bins of course she has a right to be upset!

Bin lorry round here work very fast, grab two bins and return to pavement.
Sometimes the bins end up opposite sides of the road or a few houses down. The bin men don’t carefully check that bins go back to the right house.

LittleOwl153 · 04/02/2022 09:59

You need to head out as soon as the bin men have emptied the bins yours will be among 4-5 in a group - likely the same side but could also be opposite... if you watch them from the window you will see how they work (it fascinated my kids whe they were little!)

Reclaim your bin. Stick house number stickers on the side and lid or paint numbers. AND tip the bin over and paint your number on its base... few bin thieves think of looking there.

If you don't think your current bin will be emptied having checked the rules it is even more I.portant that you claim a bin as soon as they are emptied as otherwise you will be left sorting this one out. Sadly someone has got it wrong - and can't be bothered to deal with the result - so you are either going to have to get sharp and swap it back or deal with it yourself!

Deux · 04/02/2022 10:02

I totally share your frustration. My neighbour conveniently took my brand new food waste bin in and I was left with a manky, stinky, broken thing. What she didn’t know is that I’d written our house number and post code under the lid and on the base with permanent marker.

So I went round there with her manky one to get it back and she claimed I was mistaken and it was her binHmm. I picked the bin up and showed her the postcode and just swapped them over. I was on the point of going full on fish wife. Cheeky fucker, like hell she did t notice the difference between the two.

OP, you can get bin stickers from Amazon that have your address printed on them, they’re only a few pound. I’ve had mine for about 5 years and they haven’t come off. Write your postcode and number under the lid as well.

Georgyporky · 04/02/2022 10:03

Buying a bin? What country are you in?
Local councils provide them for free in England.

BoredZelda · 04/02/2022 10:08

Not entirely the point, but why on earth would anyone have their bin cleaned, ever? That is batshit.

Don’t you ever clean bins? That’s minging.

LakieLady · 04/02/2022 10:10

@Mrbob

How on Earth would you know which bin is yours without a number?! Maybe the neighbours thiugut it was theirs. Or thought given there were no numbers on them it really didn’t matter where they put the bag
I suppose that's a small advantage to having to buy your own. My bin is the only black wheelie bin in the street.

It is also huge. I ordered it online during lockdown and had no idea how big it would be because it's size was quoted in litres.

My general waste is about a small bucketful, and it looks very silly sitting at the bottom of the enormous bin.

Inspectorslack · 04/02/2022 10:11

@Georgyporky

Buying a bin? What country are you in? Local councils provide them for free in England.
I’m in the UK but in Northern Ireland. We have to pay for our bins. As far as I understand it, even in England, not all councils provide bins for free.
Pembertonrd · 04/02/2022 10:12

We had our bin eaten by the cart once.
The council guy already knew when we rang to say our bin had disappeared as the bin men have to log it somehow.
We got a lovely new shiny bin and put numbers straight on.

TheNoodlesIncident · 04/02/2022 10:12

@AllOfUsAreDead You have to pay for replacement bins, that's why people get upset about it! Ours are still considered council property, so you are not supposed to take them if you move house, they stay with the house. It's £40 per bin here, and some families just can't afford to keep forking that out because some git has taken theirs. Somebody took my recycling bin from my old house (unoccupied and on the market) and I had to pay for another, as I didn't view it as the responsibility of the new owner.

How did you expect to be able to identify your bin once emptied?
My bins are the ones in front of my house?

That's such childlike reasoning! Anyone could move them, including the bin men, then how will you be able to show that your bins are yours?! You need to find yours - sniff out the scented powder in the new looking ones, no need to check them all - and put your number on it, not just on the sides but under the bottom and on the lid. I bought the big numbers you can get for the sides but added the more discreet ones in spray paint. And try to collect your bin as soon as it's been emptied, bring it in to your property as soon as you can as it's at its most vulnerable when it's just been emptied. Lots of people are out at work then, if possible cultivate a friendly NDN partnership where you help each other out with things like this if you can.

TheOccupier · 04/02/2022 10:16

Won't your bin still smell of the powder you put in? Go round and give the others a sniff...