Neighbour has an opinion on where I put my bins

[Opink]

We live in on a very quiet cul de sac. The homes have large front gardens and small drive ways. Almost identical to photo attached (not my street just an illustration of our set up). Houses also have a side yard/paved side garden where people keep their bins.

Well I have decided I will keep my bins in front of my garage at the front. We have a dog who gets let out throughout the day. I have a lot of anxiety around my dog being let out as I am not always convinced the side gate is left shut. It gets opened when it is bin day. Every time I let the dog out I have to check to see if gate is close and when I see someone else letting the dog out I shout at them to check. It’s just unnecessary chaos. Ideally I will just put a padlock on the side gate so teens don’t mess up by leaving it open. We live 3 turns away from a somewhat busy b road.

Anyway, a neighbour has since come around and said please can I put the bins back into the side garden as it is unsightly. Granted I am the only person on the cul de sac with them out. But who cares??

I am not the arsehole, right?

edit: whoops looks like I took out voting somehow

I've gone through the thread and still not sure why you can't just padlock the gate as planned and unlock it once a week for the bins. And/or swap chores with the teenage son.

I'm in the US (though not Florida) and the same rules apply here.

i put mine in my front garden, so much easier than having to walk round to the back
my neighbour did point out initially where mine should be, round the back, and i duly complied, for some years, but it is not her business

Sorry but you are awful.
Bins are unsightly and if you can put them out of sight then you should.

Christ some people have an extremely strange definition of awful.

Haha!! I think you live near my mum. This is the kind of nonsense she gets her knickers in a twist about.

Put your bins where they work best for your household. Nobody (sane) cares.

Could you move the gate further down the side passage so it would be before the bins? Recycling bin could perhaps be in the garage if you there is only room for the general waste bin.

Exactly! This is the most simple logical solution. The kids/teens will soon learn they need to remember their keys.

You shouldn’t be leaving the back door unlocked anyway if no one is home it’s a security risk.

Sorry I'm confused do the binmen open the gate and collect bins from the garden? ! I haven't seen that since the 70s!
Or are you worried about you and DH not closing your gate properly when you put a bin bag in the bin?
If you are that paranoid about it I'm sure you would double check when going through the gate or do you jut trust DH to do it?
Do you not use the gate for any other reason or is it just to access your bins?
Ultimately it's completely your decision where you keep the bins and neighbours are being very unreasonable and cheeky to ask you to move them!!
However personally if I could hide my bins I could, I'd keep them In the yard then just put them out on bin day, is that an option or am I missing something?
I think perhaps you are being a bit paranoid, everyone with dogs has garden gates, but bottom line is just keep your bins wherever you like on your own properly!

My bins are round the side of my house behind the side gate and it is perfectly secure for my dog 🤔 I keep my side gate locked until it’s bin day then make sure dog is indoors ( preferably in living room with another family member) and put bins out then .

Ignore the neighbours, lots of communities have bins out front of homes.

We have streets if victoriana terraces with no back entrances, and we have 4 wheelie bins. They are all just lined up on the street every day, hundreds of them!

Our bins we keep round the side of the house, in full view of the street. It's easier for us and I don't want my cats to jump on the bins and get over the fencing so no chance they're going in the garden. We have a small bit of land at the side, they go there. I don't give two hoots whether the neighbours like it or not.

Of course you’re not being unreasonable!

Get the gate bolted and locked, it’s better security for you and your family too, not just the dog.

if I could I’d put the bin along by the hedge (if you have one… but ultimately it’s no one else’s business.

we don’t yet have wheelie bins but when we get them later this year I’m not going to have any choice but to put mine out the front… I’m dreading it tbh!

Wow i can’t believe some of the comments on here 😂😂
Leave your bins out the front and padlock the gate, it’s no one else’s business.

it’s not unneighbourly or antisocial to leave your bins out on your property! How ridiculous of people to suggest this!

We have 5 full size wheelie bins (5 because we had to buy an extra one for medical waste). If we kept them all at the back we would lose half our patio area so we keep them at the front. We try to hide them behind our bushes but they still don't look good. A lot of our neighbours keep there's at the front too. It doesn't look great but needs must! Very cheeky of your neighbour to ask you to move them! Is their house up for sale and they don't want to put buyers off?

Bins DO look unsightly stored outside the front of houses, end of - especially as there are so many coloured bins, bags and boxes for refuse these days.
Just have a browse on Rightmove and tell me the houses with loads of bins outside them don’t put you off somewhat ?
I currently live in a conservation area and we take our bins out onto the road for emptying every fortnight, then bring them back in and store them somewhere out of sight from the neighbouring properties. It’s no big deal really.
Unfortunately I am moving away soon, and although I accept some houses have no option other to keep bins in front of the houses, I swerve them, as the street just looks a cluttered mess of plastic. Many people just don’t care or seem blind to the visual effect it creates, and no effort is made to store them neatly and considerately.
You might think it’s not a big deal keeping your bins out the front, but what if everyone else in the street follows suit and decides convenience beats aesthetics ? You might then even see yourself how shitty it looks !
So I’d recommend you keep your bins in the back garden (or garage), lock your gate for peace of mind and security with your dog, and YOU take your bins out and retrieve them every fortnight !

I haven't read the whole thread but I'm guessing that at some point over the 16 pages, somebody has suggested a padlock with a number combination instead of a key?

Well if your street is as pretty as the one in the picture this would annoy me too! But that’s a personal thing, it’s up to you. Also, doesn’t the bin still have to be brought out onto the street for collection? Our bin men wouldn’t collect from the front of a garage. I.e. someone still has to move the bins anyway.
I feel like you are way overthinking this.
I would rather check the gate each time I let the dog out than have my bins out permanently. Can the gate be opened from the outside? If not how are your teens getting in when they forget keys? I’d also be worried about delivery folk leaving it open. Get a padlock that only you know combination to but still keep bins at the side and take them out each week would be my solution.

It is ugly to have bins out permanently especially in summer. I like to sit outside in the front garden and would hate to be looking at bins. Plus, they attract bees and wasps and can get smelly.

Doesn’t it also stop the garage being properly opened?

Sorry I’m full of questions but a dog being let out four times a day also makes me think it isn’t being walked regularly.

Could you set up ring doorbell camera to face toward the gate so it could be checked that way if you don’t want to get a lock?

The only issue here seems to be the fact that it's one of your son's "chores". Just give him something else to do 🙃

When I moved into my house a couple from 6 doors away, who had access over an alleyway I own, had very strong opinions of where I was allowed to put my bins. They even moved them to where they preferred them 🙄.
Anyway they’re both dead now so I win!

Surely you should be going out with your dog anyway to clean up after him? But if you can't been bothered just make sure you're the one that takes the bins down the night before bin day then you can lock the gate behind you when you come back in. And then likewise on bin day bring the bins back in and lock the gate behind you - it's really not rocket science.
And yes bins out front do look unsightly!

You sound like our next door neighbour who despite having a side garden and triple drive plonks their bins RIGHT next to our bay window so all we can see is their bins and it causes us to smell them in the summer when windows are open it's vile

I think bins are pretty unsightly Tbf. I’d never say anything to a neighbour but I’d think it. I have a dog I just keep her in the living room when I put the bins out. We have locks on our gate, we just unlock when needed, it really does only take a few minutes.

i cant remember my bin smelling in the summer
i dont have much food waste

IL never understand why people have a problem with what others to with their house. It doesn't affect anyone but you directly so why is the street bothered! People got.to much time.on their hands

Of course, do as you wish, but I bet other neighbours think it’s an ugly sight too.

I think padlocking the gate is fine. Unlock it when you put your bin out and immediately padlock it again. It’s a tiny bit of extra effort to keep your cul de sac environment looking neat and tidy. Anyone trying to sell their home will be grateful to you!