Is this bin behaviour unhygienic?

[Binbuddy]

The food bins were collected this morning. Due to the time of year they get maggots and stink.

The bin men come round and take our smaller food bins over to a larger bin and empty the bags into it before they deposit this in their truck. They often fish out the green food bags with their gloved hands (these green bags are often covered in maggots).

They then put out smaller food bins back for us to take. I always clean mine after this as it’s so filthy and I hate the smell (not to mention the germs on it!)

My Neighbour has just delivered all our food bins back to us and then got straight in her car and driven off. She didn’t wear gloves and touched all the filthy bins.

I am shocked. Who knows what germs she could have picked up and are now all over her steering wheel etc.

AIBU to think this is really unhygienic?

YABU: it’s fine
YANBU: yes it’s unhygienic, she should have washed her hands.

What on earth does it have to do with you?!

Gross though.

It is gross. Are you sure she didn't have wipes in the car or something?

YABU to worry about it.

If she was holding the caddies by the handles she wasn’t touching the gone off food anyway?

She probably has an amazing immune system. Children grow up all over the world in communities with no bin collection at all. Yes education around hygiene has improved health massively. At the same time a few germs in a healthy body can actually strengthen that persons immunity.
Why do you even focus on someone else's choices in this way. It's a bit obsessive.

I don't know surely she was just touching the handles, and thus probably not touching maggots? I would have given my hands a wash, as I do after pulling the wheelie bin back in, but it's not like she was touching maggots or gone off food or whatever else.

I just wouldn’t even think to care about it.

I used to work in a classroom with 30 teens. There were probably more germs on them.

Totally missing the point, but why are they referred to as "bin collections" when the bins are not collected - only the rubbish / recycling / food waste inside them?

To get back to the thread, as other posters have said, if she was carrying them by the handles she wasn't touching anything particularly gross.

For me this is another thing on my list of things which have never crossed my mind as being a problem.
My food waste will be collected today, I forgot to put it out last week so it’s really full. I've never watched what the bin men do with it, I’m just delighted we have such a comprehensive recycling system here.

She didn't exactly lick the bin lids did she??

Honestly people touch things all the time potentially with germs on them. A healthy immune system protects us from such things.
YABU to worry about what your neighbour does anyway.

She's an adult. I'm sure she can manage her own hand washing routine. Without you sticking your beak in!

if it helps settle your mind, I use gel or wipes in the car

I think it's weirder you even noticed and had that thought process tbh. Presumably she was carrying them by their handle and not rubbing her hands around the inside of the bin? Next time just be grateful you have a nice neighbour maybe?

As long as you don't make a habit of licking your neighbour's hands or steering wheel, you'll be fine.

Never fails to astonish me how many 'hygiene' things MN finds to worry about.

Not the point of the thread but I have never seen maggots in my bin, how do they get in there?

Assuming she has a functioning immune system she will be absolutely fine.

It sounds like she did you a nice favour dropping your food bin back to you, and now you’re judging her for it, which is a bit of a dick move really.

The whole way food is recycled domestically is unhygeinic. I don't waste much food but just bin it in the ordinary bin. I'm not dealing with maggots.

Her problem not yours.

Covid taught us that people need to be told to wash their hands.

Flies lay eggs and they hatch into maggots. I only really get them in the summer when the sun heats the bins up and makes them smellier and attracts more flies. It's only my food/garden waste bin that is affected as it's only collected every 2 weeks

I’ve never seen one either . Although I don’t exactly inspect the food waste, just throw the bag in and leave it to be collected. No maggots to deal with 🤷‍♀️

I’ve seen them in a disabled elderly relatives bin whose ‘carers’ didn’t care to take out the rubbish for him.
When food is left rotting too long flies lay eggs which turn into maggots (I think?)

I throw a bit of washing up liquid and vinegar mix into my bins after they’re emptied and turn the hose on them. A bucket of water and a good swill will help if you don’t have a hose.

We've got hand gel in the car, perhaps she has too.

She got in her own car, not yours. This is definitely none of your concern.

Who cares? Her choice. And I can't see any issue assuming she used the handles and didn't wipe her hands round inside.

Round here we get bags for ordinary rubbish. If any food goes in them, even a sniff, then the seagulls come and tear them open.

We wash all the recycling and have not had maggots in the food waste bin either, it has a handle which locks the bin.

I often have to move my bin to get my car off the drive and haven’t got time to unlock the house and go in and wash my hands. But I do agree it’s gross (along with supermarket trolly handles) so I have a large bottle of antibac in my glove compartment which I use until I can properly wash my hands. I don’t think you are being unreasonable - lots of people really are grim in their hygiene.