Neighbors odd behaviour

[Allmyownopinion]

Firstly I know this is a very minor irritation & not that big a deal in the grand scheme of things! But you know, over time minor things can drive you mad! So it’s a small semi detached house, sitting room in the front, kitchen in the back. The neighbors keep their wheely bins in the front under the window, rather than at the side of their house behind a gate like normal people, so it’s practically under my sitting room window as our houses are so close (another irritation as their bins are filthy and a real eyesore against my lovely front garden) They must not have a kitchen bin because they come out of the house to throw rubbish outside constantly and then slam the wheelie bin loudly! They even bring their plates out every time they eat & loudly scrape their food into the bin, even carry tea bags out on a spoon after each cup of tea! So it’s front door slamming, wheely bin lid slamming at least half hourly every single day. I work from home so notice it even more than maybe others would. I just can’t fathom why they do this and feel very invaded as they’re constantly by my front window where I’m working or relaxing. I’m very shy & don’t have the confidence to challenge them directly. What would you do or AIBU and should just leave them to it?

any chance of a diagram?!

assuming their bins are in front of their house/ their own front window...
could you put up a sreen or fence between your front window and theirs? So at least you would no longer be able to see their bins? It might muffle the sound a little bit too. And if they ever ask why you're doing something so odd (putting up this new barrier) you tell them why....

Write everything down in a friendly letter and send/give it to them?

Yes that would drive me mad. Can you plant a hedge, or fast, tall bush type thing!! to block the view, and maybe muffle the sound???

If its more near your window than their own just move it nearer them.

If they ask why tell them dont let shyness make you a pushover.

Or as people have suggested try and put something up to stop them putting it near yours.

I think you’re being unreasonable, I’m in a row of terraced houses, kitchen at the front, and my next door neighbours keep both their wheelie bins under their own kitchen window at the front. If they don’t mind their own bins being so close to their own kitchen, I don’t see how your next doors bins would bother you being further than what I’ve just described. You have just got it in your head that this is something that bothers you, so are hyper aware of any activity related to it

I’m very shy & don’t have the confidence to challenge them directly.

In what way could you "challenge" them?

They are doing nothing wrong keeping their bins where they are (unless there is a covenant that says they can't).
Do you have food waste collection and if do, is food waste banned from the bin they are using (until a dedicated food waste collection was started here, food waste went in with garden waste)?
Taking individual pieces of food waste to the bin is slightly bizarre (the logical solution would be to use a caddy) but if they are not actually doing anything wrong there is little you can do even if they are being inconsiderate.

How do you get on with them generally, do you chat or have you had run-ins?

It sounds like they have had an argument about who takes the indoor bin out, so they've got rid of it.

There's nothing you can do except clean their bin when they aren't around. They aren't doing anything wrong.

Absolute laziness. I live in a terraced house street and there are about 5/6 people who's bins are a permanant fixture at the front of their homes. When buying your house it actually states not to do this.
They just can't be bothered to walk their bins round the back.

It's not really any of your business what they do with their bins if they're not on your property! Yes their behaviour is slightly bizarre but some people are just odd! Can't you plant some bushes along the side of your garden or put up a trellis with some climbing plants so at least you don't have to see their grimy bins?

Do you have a fence between the 2 gardens? If so, at least the bins are on their side - but I understand what you mean, we have the same set up (fortunately, neighbours keep their bins in the back / at the side).

I agree with PPs, the best thing you can do really is put something your side as a screen - either a plant or a planter with a trellis.

Why are posters deliberately ignoring the part where OP says the constant bin slamming is disturbing her also? That would drive me mad also, OP! 🙉

My neighbour used to keep scraping food into his outside food waste bin and then banging cutlery on it to shake it off. Yes it was annoying. It used to wake me up

I agree! Of course neighbours can keep the bins where they want, but the issue is the noise and disturbance right outside the window. My neighbours are a family of 6 and keep the bins the other side of the fence outside my kitchen. They come out once or twice a day and I hear them slamming it, twice an hour with plate scraping noises would drive me mad!

Our neighbour is always pottering at the wheelie bin and making multiple trips late at night- slamming down the lid. Some people are just strange, the whole road thinks they are an odd ball.

You can't tell them what to do on their own property. Can you put a fence up? that would get rid of the view and possibly reduce noise.

When they are out could you sellotape a bit of foam packaging onto the lid or the bin top, so that when it slams it doesn’t make a noise?

Are You on texting terms? Could you send a text saying it’s attracting flies where it is? Could you offer to put them around the back at the same time as you do yours? Would be annoying but would solve your problem.

Because she has no right to tell them how to behave.

Put a big pot just on your side of the place where your houses join im sure theres a word for it. Have trellis in the pot and start growing something up the trellis.

I think a big leafy trellis fence is your best bet to reduce the noise and block the view. Putting something on the lid to reduce slamming might keep it slightly open and then it would smell and attract vermin.

Or buy them a lovely kitchen bin and bin liners?! (By lovely I mean functional… 😂 )

Its so bizarre, can’t believe OP’s neighbour isn’t the only one doing it. Why would you not have any bins indoors? Imagine having to go outside every time you had a tiny bit of rubbish, every time you finished a loo roll or peeled a potato or ate an apple or cut the tag out of an item of clothing - or had to scrape a plate. Apart from being bloody annoying for your neighbour, wouldn’t it be annoying for the person doing it? At night, or in the rain or whatever?

Maybe they want to increase their daily step count 😂

I agree it’s very odd behaviour but you can’t do anything else but put up a higher fence or trellis.

My elderly neighbour does this but he's usually trying to find out what we are doing or listen into our convos if we are in the garden.😀

would drive me mad but it's their choice where they keep their bin as long as it's on their property.

ditto putting stuff into it every five minutes.

put a screen or a big plant in the way so you can't see it. and breathe and learn to block it out. if that's the worst they do as neighbours then you aren't too badly off.

It would drive me mad, not sure what you can do about it as long as it's on his own land.
The scraping food directly into the bin is bad. It should be in a compostable bag. My friends husband used to put food directly in the bin. The bin ended up crawling with maggots.

This isn’t about ‘rights’ it’s about moral decency and respect for others! Don’t be so entitled