Someone has stolen my bin!

[Justastupidgirl]

Less of an AIBU and more of a WWYD.

A few weeks ago our council provided us all with a glass bin, slightly smaller than a usual dustbin. Yesterday was the first collection and I didn't bother to put mine out as I don't drink much so it was practically empty.

For context I live on a small close of about 12 houses, set back off the road and with a small green in the middle. All our front gardens open onto the green and we all keep our bins on the front.

Last night I realised that someone has taken my empty bin from my front garden and left one that's completely full of beer bottles (and too heavy to move) out on the street.

What do I do? I have no idea which, if any, of my neighbours it could have been and it seems like a massive faff to have to call the council to report it. But it's Christmas and I have family coming so will actually be producing some glass waste for once!

WWYD? AIBU to be pissed off? I've got enough to bloody do this week without this as well!

That is so annoying OP!! Any suspicions of which neighbour it was?

Literally not a clue. The close is a mix of families and elderly people and I don't really know any of them beyond exchanging pleasantries.

Not much you can do until he next bin collection unless you are doing to empty it yourself in the meantime.

Do you have numbers on your bin? Then at least you'll know which is yours.

It will reappear on the street on bin day so you will be able to reclaim it as yours then. Maybe write in marker pen your house number on the bin to claim it as your bin.

You can buy big number stickers for bins

No number stickers as they're new bins but I will definitely get some now.

I'm very aware that the full bin is going to sit there for a fortnight now and everyone is going to think it's mine and that I'm too lazy to move it (and that I drink like a sailor!)

What an annoying situation!

Do you have a WhatsApp group for your close? I'd explain what has happened and ask there if anyone could help move it. But it obviously depends on whether your neighbours are helpful etc.

There's no point worrying about what other people think. You can't control that and anyway they might not be right honking that.

@Justastupidgirl id be fuming too, I expect it will also reek of stale beer when it’s eventually emptied. There’s not much you can do it’s not even as if we have those bottle banks anymore, which would have been a chore for you as well.

Just put your glass in the recycling bin for the next 2 weeks. Not much you can do unfortunately.

You can, but they peel off easily. It can be better to paint the numbers on.

I printed our house number out in a very large font in Word. Then removed the numbers out to create a stencil, and used that to paint numbers on each of our three bins, I did each side and the lid, so no matter what the orientation you can see the number.

So far none have been stolen - but then none were before I painted the numbers on!

@TwoLeftSocksWithHoles you took pride in your painting, making a stencil was a great idea but when I see hand painted numbers or using a spray can it is just so scruffy looking , I’m sure you have seen them too, usually a yellow spray can for some reason. My numbers are really big and I don’t think they peel off easily because I did one that was not quite straight and it wouldn’t come away again.

Anyone of your neighbours got security footage? Ring door bell and the like? Go full Sherlock Holmes and see if you can track the bin thief down? I would do that but I am petty!! Go Get your Evidence!

This is what I did with mine when we got our new bins. HUGE big number stickers, and I put one on the lid and one on the body of the bin. Bin thieves are rife!

You know what, annoyingly I have a ring doorbell myself but never got round to sorting out the subscription so it doesn't save footage.

I'm noticing a theme here, my own disorganisation has played a part in this situation!

A neighbour recently used my bin to cram full of something nasty. Once it was emptied and I retrieved it there was a revolting slurry at the bottom, maggots and lots of blow flies🤢

I’d like to think they took my bin by mistake. That they hadn’t seen my door number painted large on the front side of the bin, but I have now painted it on the top as well so it cannot be missed.

So a long winded way of saying put your number on the lid as well as the side.

And I also like to think they didn’t use my bin to dispose of a body, knowing that blow flies are partial to carcasses. 🫤

DD's bins used to get pinched despite painting the number on them, so she melted the number in with a soldering iron. Seems to have worked.

I got ones from pound land and they've lasted fine in all weathers

Yes, but 'humans' may be able to peel them off.

A neighbour stole my black bin around a year and a half ago. I'm in a council flat and they were in a private let across the road. Either their landlord didn't provide them with a bin - or they produced so much waste that they needed to use mine

My mum was coming to see me and she just said - your bin is gone

For context I have a neighbour who for various reasons is hardly here - and they filled his bin every three weeks too

I called the council and at first they told me to go to police - then they just replaced it - and then the family put it back - around two weeks later

They've gone - but there's another family living in the same flat now - and a couple of weeks ago they started dumping their rubbish in my bin again - they need to come into my garden to do it

It wouldn't have bothered me so much if they had just asked me if they could use it

You can also get locks for your bins as well - which might prevent someone stealing it

The ones I have really don't peel off easily.

If you have bin thieves who peel off numbers, paint the number on the bottom

That is annoying.

So really it’s fly tipping!
Because all are new bins and presumably all the same!?

so they have filled your bin, with their rubbish.

Start a WhatsApp street group and make it like a Christmas mystery.

or a closed FB page.

But yeah, fly tipping I’d probably the quickest solution

Right - so they've swapped your bin. There's really nothing you can do apart from try and put this one out on the street and take back the bin you think is yours

The council won't do anything about someone taking your bin and putting another one back. Unfortunately this kind of thing does happen. My mum has had her bins stolen more than once and has had to put numbers on her bins

As someone else said - you'll just need to put the bottles in general waste for now.

No. They've taken her bin and left their full one in her garden.