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 would find some extra cuttings and fill my bin up every single time as he would just wind me up. I wouldn't have minded once or if they were stuck but now it's past that

Similar happened with me. My husband suggested our neighbour go halves on it. She said no, and never asks us anymore.

If I had loads of spare room, I'd be fine.

If the bin was full with my own garden waste or if I needed the space before the next collection, I'd ask them to goes halves.

If it's like our council, it's an annual fee. Some people don't have the money to pull out. Me and a neighbour share mine but she pays me monthly.
I think it's a friendly thing to do BUT me and my neighbour are friends. We don't just speak because of the bin.
I'd maybe ask if he wants to go halves, it's not harsh to do so. You'd still be doing him a favour by putting it out for regular collection.

I'm of the opposite view to that one, if he just put it in without asking that would be really cheeky! At least he has the manners to ask.
I agree that a "no, sorry, I am planning to do a lot of gardening and expect to fill my bin to overflowing" would be the way to go.

Why not suggest he cuts your lawn at the same time to repay the favour? You have the space anyway and would feel like you’re getting something in return.

If OP didn’t pay for this service would they both have to find some other kind (mug) neighbour to use their bags instead

Exactly

This.

Seriously weird that anyone would mind someone using a bit of space THAT YOU DON'T NEED in your bin!

Hi all

Thanks for taking the time to respond - can see I’ve raised quite a polarising subject

Just to answer a few more questions:

1. We live in a row of terraced houses, can’t hide my bin until bin day unfortunately. If I were tell a little white lie and say it’s full, I’d be easily rumbled as the bins are right there for him to access
2. Myself and neighbour have both front and back lawns - I cut mine every 2 weeks but he tends to let his grow quite long. When I said 1-2 months, that’s what it’s been so far this year. I suspect he’ll be cutting more frequently as we come into summer though. He mentioned to me he only does it when it’s dry.
3. He also puts his weeds and dead plants/flowers in there as/when that situation comes up
4. There was one occasion last summer where I had done both my lawns during the week and he then did both his at the weekend, the bin had only just been collected so it was full for another week until the next collection and I was unable to use it. I was just worried this might start to happen now that it’s summer
5. I do compost! But as someone posted earlier, you have to get the green to brown ratio right, so sadly I can’t put my grass in there every time.

I know it’s no inconvenience to me as I’m already paying for it, it was more the fact that he’s being tight and getting that paid service for free that was irking me - I think someone mentioned the word freeloader.

I think I am leaning towards not saying anything to maintain friendly neighbour relations. A few of you have suggested this and you’re right, being on side with your neighbours is worth a lot.

@Blouson

and again, so what??

if I'm going, my neighbour is welcome to have a lift.

who is there to decide if the OP needs it or not?

It's really rude to expect a service for free when someone else is paying for it.

But sometimes it is full. I think it is a cheek. Some people are so tight.

@Motheringthrough I'm not brilliant at maths, but I THINK he owes you 41.5p a month......

Why don’t you compost your garden waste?

( missing the point but curious. A compost bin , and a shredder if you have lots of very woody material is a much better way of dealing with your garden waste)

Helpful, thanks

I think you are being unreasonable. You have already paid, it's not costing you anything, there is space in the bin, he asks if it's ok. Why shouldn't you do someone a favour when there is no skin off your nose.

What I would do here is say to him. Scandalous isn't it that were asked to pay even more just to recycle. To save us both money why don't we split the cost and share a green bin all year round. If he says no then he won't come back again asking to use the bin and if he says yes then you've got half the cost for fair use of the bin.

@Blouson
"Probably asks for a free lift into town. Well there's 4 empty seats in the car after all."

Yep! Tell me you wouldn't ask for petrol money to take someone somewhere you were going already.......Please tell me....

Are you new here? 😂

Each week I pull my pensioner neighbours wheelie bin down her pathway to the road edge for collection. When I get back home from work I wheel it back to the side of her house again. On reflection, the old biddy has been a bit of cheeky fucker over the years. Not even a bottle of wine feom her. I'm going to empty the bin all over her garden and shit through her letterbox. That will teach her to take advantage of my goodwill over the years.

Consider buying something, say renting a storage locker. It costs you £100 per year to rent this (plucking a figure out of the sky here).
Your neighbour needs to store something and is aware that you have a storage locker. You have the space to store whatever your neighbour needs stored.
Remember that you are the one being charged the rental fee here - not your neighbour and your neighbour has no intention of contributing to the rental of said storage locker even if their belongings are stored in it.
Does it make a difference to you? Yes, it does. You're the one covering the storage costs of stuff that isn't yours.

The OP's neighbour is using the OP's green bin, hasn't contributed to the cost of the bin (saved themselves money there) also hasn't needed to go to the tip to dispose of waste there either (another money saver for the neighbour) and also hasn't given any indication that they will contribute to the costs.
@Motheringthrough - contact your waste disposal company (or council) and see if they could pop a flyer in your neighbour's letterbox about green recycling and the costs of having a green bin.
Not sure how often you use your green bin but if you could get rid of it and say that you're going to be bringing your green waste to the tip because you don't have enough to warrant the green bin or you're changing service providers then tell your neighbour that he will have to sort his own green waste out going forwards. See if that might work.

You don't use your full bin capacity so it's no skin off your nose at all. I'd definitely keep doing it on the (unspoken) understanding that you've got a neighbourly relationship and if you needed a favour he'd reciprocate. See how it goes.

Suggest he shares the cost. Its cheeky. One off ok. On a regular basis not ok. Or fill it up if you can so there is no room for his stuff, too cheeky.

#4 is not okay, and he needs to be told if he does this again.