Neighbour being cheeky? Or AIBU?

[Motheringthrough]

We moved in a couple of years back and as I am a keen gardener, I arranged for our house to have a green bin collection (not sure if this is the case everywhere but it’s a service you pay extra for with our council)

About a month after moving in our next door neighbour asked if it would be alright if he put his grass clippings in our green bin. Trying to be friendly and neighbourly and all that, I said yes, thinking it would be a one off. They’ve never had a green bin and prior to us moving in next door, he used to take his garden waste to the tip.

Every time he has mown his lawn since (every 1-2 months I’d say) he asks me if he can put his grass cuttings in our green bin.

It is now starting to bother me that he doesn’t pay for his own green bin when he clearly would get a lot of use out of it. I just think to keep asking each time now is being cheeky and almost overstepping with the favour.

Am I being silly? I realise this is probably the most silly and middle England issue to post but I need to put my mind at rest!

I guess for me it wouldn't bother me IF he recognized that he was using a service I was paying for. For example, to pop round with a bottle of wine or a cake they had made. Nothing outrageous but just to acknowledge that I was doing him a favour.

If that makes sense?

In a minority here I think, but honestly, although I don't think you're unreasonable per se, I think it's a teensy bit stingy to care (so long as your bin isn't too full and he's asking every time). You're basically doing him a favour with a monetary value of about 20-30 quid a year at no added cost/inconvenience to yourself. It's nice when neighbours help each other out.

I'd mentally log it as a bit of a favour/good deed. Maybe you'll need a favour and he'll reciprocate one day!

I think you're being a bit unreasonable as you could just be kind and let him use it and know you've done a good deed. Unless he's trampling your garden or something while using the bin. From your replies it seems you just think he's being cheeky and you want him to pay for his own bin because you had to. That's a bit mean imo. If it's not costing you anything to help (you still have room for your own waste) then why not continue to do so? I wish my neighbours would ask me for favours instead of being miserable!

This wouldn't bother me at all.

YANBU - we have occasionally asked our neighbours but most of ours goes to the recycling centre or in the composter. The reason we haven’t got one is that we have a bin box with space for the other two bins only. Splitting the cost is the best suggestion as they may be happy to pay but don’t have space for one themselves. If they say no, start saying no when they ask to use it

I'd suggest that you go halves, since he uses half of your green bin! He can't get stroppy at that.

Next time he asks, can you say " yes, but I am worriedit will get full so if have any surplus that won't go in then it would be great if you can take that to the tip"

He is the one that needs to sort any surplus, not you.

Easy for posters to say they wouldn't mind when they're not paying for the bin. It would irritate me that someone else was getting out of paying when they needed to use it regularly.

Take it to the tip or pay for a bin yourself, don't put a neighbour in a position when they feel awkward saying no.

It’s cheeky, but if my bin wasn’t full I wouldn’t mind, as it’s not costing me anymore. I wouldn’t be so cheeky but many people have a brass neck with this kind of thing