Neighbour using our wheelie bin

[binconundrum]

My husband and I have just moved to a different UK city, into my sister's house while she is abroad for a few years.

The lane that our front door is on, is the back lane for the houses that have their front doors on the streets parallel to that lane. All those houses leave their recycling and general waste wheelie bins out permanently on that lane (which is effectively their back alleyway), and we leave ours out there as well as there is nowhere else for us to put it. I hope that explains the layout well enough.

A few days ago I noticed someone had put an empty plastic milk bottle and an empty cardboard box of dog food in our recycling bin, which already had our recycling in, so was clearly now in use (my sister's house was empty for a couple of months between her moving out and us moving in). The bin is clearly marked with our house number. I mentioned it to my sister and she says that it sometimes happens but it didn't really affect her so she didn't do anything about it. It was just a couple of things, so, whatever. It's not a wealthy area, and she also suggested that maybe a neighbour couldn't afford to get a bin (I just looked on the council's website, looks like it's £21 charge and residents who receive Council Tax Support will receive a 50% discount).

Today I went to put our recycling out and there's a big, uncollapsed carboard box in there, with unrecyclable soft plastic inside, and with the name and address of a neighbour whose house backs onto our lane. The box takes up the remaining space in the bin and I'm unable to put my recycling in there. Having looked around and not finding a bin marked with their number, I decide to take the box out, leave it on the floor in the street (with the address visible!) and put our recycling into our bin.

I go inside and explain the situation to my husband. I tell him that I think I feel brave enough to go and talk to the neighbour, to say something inoffensive like 'oh I think this box was put in our bin by mistake'. He thinks this could be seen by the neighbour as petty and antagonistic, and could potentially start a war with them, and thinks it's a better idea just to leave it on the lane. I feel like I want the neighbour to know that we've noticed them put this huge thing in the bin and it's not on. I don't want to litter the lane. I'd talk to them in a reasonable, calm way, and if they respond unkindly then I'd leave it and not rise to it (I hate confrontation). AIBU to want to go and talk to the neighbour? Or maybe I'll just buy them a bin without telling them lol. My husband and I await your evaluation eagerly!

I'd chuck it outside their gate.

I'd be tempted to leave it on their drive.

Agreed. Can you not stand the box by their own bin as you know the number?

How long have you been living there? Is there a chance they hadn't realised someone was there and believed that the bin was perhaps just a free for all and the rubbish in it already that of other neighbours

When this happened to me I tried to knock on the neighbour's door but they didn't answer so I left the bag of rubbish on their front door step. They quickly got the message and stopped doing it.

My neighbours kept putting plastic bags full of nappies in mine and the other neighbour's bins. They'd literally have a plastic bag full of 20+ nappies that they'd collected. I left them on their doorstep and it stopped. Petty as their bin was empty, but that made it more annoying as they would've just used theirs.

Also maybe look into getting a bin lock to stop it happening in future? IDK if you want to spend on solving it though. Something like this: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Wheelie-Strap-Lock-DRILLING-GLUEING/dp/B07FLKKBPD

Since bin collection changed round my way people have started thinking its a free for all once their bin is full. I keep mine inside our property now and it seems to curb the problem. It's even more annoying when they don't recycle properly and you have to fish out someone else's waste.

Go round with the stuff they put in your bin and say “this is in my bin, it’s not mine and has your name on it. This has happened before but it stops now.” Give them the rubbish and go. Can you get a lock on your bin for the non collection days?

You have to pay for your recycling bin??

@han86 We've only been here 2 weeks, so could be that they haven't realised we're using the bin now. I had a look but couldn't find a bin with their number on, so concluded that they may not, in fact, have their own bin.

@Magmum75 no space to put 2 wheelie bins indoors unfortunately, I would if I could.

Seems more suggestions for 'returning' the offending item to make the point rather than talking to them.

Wheelie bin lock thing.

Yeah just return it for now and take it from
there. As you said it could be they’ve been using it with no problem for a whirl and now they’ll know not to. If they keep on then dump it on their door step

id put it in thier main bin so they see it but its less confrontational than putting on on their doorstep. And then I’d buy a bin lock.

We had this at our old house. We put the rubbish back into their front garden. They then put it back in our bin. We then knocked on their door and they said it wasn't theirs. We said it has their name and address clearly on it. They then had no idea how it possibly could have gotten into our bin (twice). They never did it again though.

You need to hide in the bin. (Take a flask of tea, it could be a long job) When you hear them approach, get ready. As soon as their sneaky mitts touch your bin, pop up like some evil Jack in the Box (in fact, maybe get the costume?) and ask ‘What the hell are you playing at?!’ If they don’t die on the spot, they will never use your bin again.

or get a bin lock

1. Put it outside their door
2. Get a bin lock

Does it really matter all that much?

So they're in a different street that backs onto yours?

What if they're 3 Apple Street and you're 3 Grape street and each of you have assumed the no.3 bin is yours?

Tbh we have the same set up in our street and the bins situation is just a complete free for all. You have to try and not let it bother you.

Some people don't have bins.. then some people's bins are filled up by the people with no bins.. so they use someone else's bin.. and so on and so forth.

Everyone on the street accepts it and if someone new started fishing people's rubbish out and leaving it on the street / confronting them it would not go well.

yes if you cannot fit your own rubbish into your allocated bin, or you get a fine because someone has chucked any old shit into your recycling

This..where in UK are you paying for a recycling bin that's not garden waste??

How nice to read an OP with a reasonable attitude. I think your solution is sensible @binconundrum and would expect it to work well.

Talk to them. No need to be passive aggressive about it. A simple 'hello, noticed you have been using our bin, we only just moved in, so you probably hadn't noticed the house is now occupied, but we're going to need the space from now on. Thanks'.

I absolutely would knock on their door. Not flying into a rage, not making a bunch of excuses, just saying a neighbourly hello, letting them know I'm living there now (and need the bin room), and giving back their box that they need to sort out a solution for.

No need for drama, but also a need to speak up.

Saying you feel brave enough to talk to the neighbour is embarrassing.

Just say, we appreciate you might have been using my sister's bin but we live here now and we need it for ourselves. If you email you can get a bin sent. Good night.

100% take the box back to their house and tell them they must have got the wrong bin. It won’t stop otherwise.

If no answer just leave it at their door.