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!

So he knocks on your door and asks each time? It would be the asking that would bother me, if he put it in and left you alone it would be better.

Why don’t you see if he does you a favour when you ask. A neighbour that owes you a favour is handy. If he is useless at helping out, tell him the bin is full so no more clippings.

I share my neighbours green bin and pay him half (he also mows my lawn for me when he is doing his and doesn't expect me to reciprocate).

I would ask him to pay half.

Some folks are proper tight. Like really tight, even when it costs them nothing, doesn’t even cause them any effort, doesn’t put them out in the slightest, they’d still say no as they hate the thought of someone getting something for nothing.

it costs about 1 pound a week for the bin, he uses it on average every seven weeks. And only a small part of it, ie the spare space. So probably 30p every couple of months, so uses max 1.80 a year, even though it doesn’t even cost thr op that, and still folks would say no out of spite.

It would annoy me but him paying the council for his own bin won't lessen your bill so i think it's the freebie angle that's winding you up and needs to be addressed. I'd suggest doing as one poster suggested and asking if he'd like to split the cost with you.

Ask him to pay half. I'm considering asking our neighbour if she would like to go halves as we both have small gardens and huge bins, the cost of which will be going up in the autumn.

Never said you can’t be nice while the other is also being a bit cheeky.

Errr to everyone saying bung it in the normal bin...
No
You are not supposed to put grass clippings/garden waste in there
It's not just a dump for anything

I'm in the middle of trying to sort out my backyard and it's so bad. I would never ask my neighbors if I could put my stuff in theirs even though mine is overflowing. We too pay for the bin emptying.

Just tell him you haven't got any room. Each time.

This happened to a friend of mine, she thought she was being kind but it just caused her massive inconvenience. Her neighbour didn't want a green bin to spoil the aesthetics of her garden but didn't mind filling my friends bin so that sometimes there wasn't room for her own garden waste.

Say no to them using the bin in future. Do not offer to split the cost. If your neighbour wasn't a piss taker they would have already offered a contribution or left you a bottle of wine as a thank you.

Tell them they can sign up and pay for a bin on line.

Kind people always end up being taken advantage of by cheeky fuckers. A one off? No problem. Every time? Get your own bin.

When he next asks, say you have alot of green waste this week going in the bin because you are doing some gardening. If there's room on the day of collection you'll let him know.

I think you could say that now the summer is here that you are mowing/cutting/pruning more and that there isn't really any room.

This 👍

'Sorry, no' would be an acceptable continued response.

Bit off the point of the thread, but I'd really love to know what sort of grass the neighbour has that only requires cutting ever one or two months.

I cut my grass around a week ago and it's now really long.

I'm not an enthusiastic gardener and ok I don't cut my grass very short, so I'm not shaving it down to the mud but even so, after two months the neighbour's grass must be like a wilderness.

"Being nice" would also be him buying you a bottle of wine or some other token gift by way of thanks.

Next time just say 'no, sorry, it's full'.

He's a CF, that's the problem with being nice to these types and saying yes once, then they will take advantage forevermore until stopped.

Nuke his house from orbit, that will teach him for putting grass clippings in your bin after asking your permission to do so.

Or failing that, come up with some classic mumsnet inspired passive aggressive patronising script which you can reel off to him next time you meet him in which you definitely do not come across as a weirdo.

And why should OP "be nice" when the CF is obvs not doing his bit and "being nice" to her?? A bottle of wine/ box of chocs ,as a thanks for saving him £60?

Oh, of course, he's a man. So we have to "be nice" 🙄

I agree. If it's me, I'd just tell him to check my bin the night before collection and if there's any space he is welcome to use it - that way he doesn't need to ask every time. If the bin is full then tough luck 🍀

45 quid a year round our way. Your neighbour is a CF. Why should pay out and enable him to get it free? Tell him he needs to split the cost or pay for his own collection 😬

It mostly is. Most councils will still take the grass in the regular bin.

Ask him if he would like to share the cost of the service since it seems silly to pay for the whole thing when you dont fill it, and if youre both using it and go halves it makes sense

I couldn’t get myself worked up about this - it happens about 6 times a year and the bin is never too full for your waste? I’d take the view that I’d be paying for the green bin anyway and it’s not actually any inconvenience to me.

I’m not surprised the replies here are strongly in favour of him being a CF, because the view I tend to see on MN is that we should all live in splendid isolation and never put ourselves out for another person or create any sort of community which involves a bit of give and take. Fair enough if that’s how you want to live your life.

Definitely a cheeky fucker.

We have a choice of bins or bags here. Over subscribed so I pay my neighbour half of her monthly subscription for one of her three bags.