Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. A phone that grows with your child.

Meet the Other Phone.
A phone that grows with your child.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To want the bin returning to me

124 replies

ForZanyTraybake · 17/02/2026 20:31

I signed up to the council garden waste bin collection last year and paid full subscription for my bin. A few days after my bin arrived my neighbour asked if I could get one for her as it was cheaper for a second bin on my account so I did. I paid in my account and she gave me the cash. This year she won't pay but refuses to return the bin. Is it my bin or hers? It's registered to my address and she's had her years worth of collections. Thanks for your replies 😊

OP posts:
BillieWiper · 17/02/2026 22:00

ForZanyTraybake · 17/02/2026 21:26

It's a garden waste collection not household waste. It's an opt in service with an annual subscription.

Show quote history

Ah ok thank you. We have this. But we just leave out sacks.
Do you want the actual bin back for your own use? If she won't pay for the collection I don't see why she still needs the bin.
Can you just say yours was lost or stolen if you need a second one and don't want to pay?

JudgeJ · 17/02/2026 22:00

Lighterandbrighter · 17/02/2026 20:36

Are they still collecting it without her paying?

But in answer to your question, yes it's her bin unless the council take them back.

If it's in the OP's name, because the OP made the initial order and payment then technically it's the OP's bin. Call the Council and tell them that you now only need one bin and the second, unpaid for bin is at neighbour's address from where they can collect it. Usually takes a couple of weeks when the contract is not renewed.

Lastofthesummerwines · 17/02/2026 22:01

Round here they send you a label to put on the bin lid and then the bin men know which houses have paid , no label no collection . So the bin from your neighbours house wouldn’t be collected .

I don’t think there’s a discount for a second bin here tho , but I have read people who go into shares with their neighbour and they each pay half the cost and then they both share the 1 bin .

Franjipanl8r · 17/02/2026 22:02

You aren’t legally responsible for the bin, no crime is being committed if you just forget the bin ever existed and think nothing of it again! This is a non issue.

Original poster
ForZanyTraybake · 17/02/2026 22:05

Lastofthesummerwines · 17/02/2026 22:01

Round here they send you a label to put on the bin lid and then the bin men know which houses have paid , no label no collection . So the bin from your neighbours house wouldn’t be collected .

I don’t think there’s a discount for a second bin here tho , but I have read people who go into shares with their neighbour and they each pay half the cost and then they both share the 1 bin .

I paid full price for my bin and half price for hers. I was prepared to do the same this year but she refused to pay.

OP posts:
GrannyAchingsShepherdsHut · 17/02/2026 22:13

Where I am you pay a higher cost for year one to buy the bin, and then you renew at a cheaper annual rate when you already have the bin.

Is that the case where you are and if yes did she pay the cost of buying the bin?

Kiwi09 · 17/02/2026 22:18

@ForZanyTraybake Just report the bin she has as stolen and have the second bin removed from your account.

TricNorthCarolina · 17/02/2026 22:23

We have this scheme where I live. When I didn't renew the council came & took away the bin in the first week of the new year collections in March. This was fine with me & the bin was out the front waiting for them tk take it.

What I'd be worried about if I was you is that they will come to take away 1 of the 2 bins registered to your address & only find your 1 bin on your drive. They will then take that bin away & you will have no bin to use as the neighbour will still have your other one. The council won't be interested that its your neighbour not you that has the 2nd bin - they will assume you do still have it as its registered in your name at your address.

You need to tell her to give it back or you will report that she has stolen it (I'm not sure who you could even report this to but hopefully it will worry her enough to give it back!)

Good luck

tinyspiny · 17/02/2026 22:26

If she puts it out for collection then you take it back , alternatively tell the council and let them deal with her .

Original poster
ForZanyTraybake · 17/02/2026 22:28

GrannyAchingsShepherdsHut · 17/02/2026 22:13

Where I am you pay a higher cost for year one to buy the bin, and then you renew at a cheaper annual rate when you already have the bin.

Is that the case where you are and if yes did she pay the cost of buying the bin?

No. I paid full price for my bin and half price for hers because after you've paid for the first full priced bin any others are half price. The same applies upon renewal of the subscription and I was paying full price again for mine and hers would have been half. I just thought I was being kind but I see now it was foolish.

OP posts:
SeaShellsSanctuary1 · 17/02/2026 22:29

ForZanyTraybake · 17/02/2026 20:53

I thought about that but I think that would be trespass

Show quote history

Trespass is civil . She won't be filing a case against you

TalulahJP · 17/02/2026 22:31

id tell the council tbh
the reason is that my friends daughter had her bin stolen. they pulled everything out and scattered it everywhere. it was traced to her and as she had not reported it stolen (at the time her prick father said dont bother reporting it i will steal you another one and she let him, prick) the council charged her for dumping it on the waste ground and littering everywhere. i think it was £50 fine.

so if she does anything wrong you will get the blame.

Shatteredallthetimelately · 17/02/2026 22:32

We do have to have a sticker for each bin, so if two bins you'll be paying £67 x 2, we'd not get away with making one payment and expecting two stickers in return....same info in the drivers cab.

Arlanymor · 17/02/2026 22:40

Do you have the information from this thread you need to proceed? I think you do.

Lavenderandbrown · 17/02/2026 22:40

What is her reason for not paying?! What did she say to you?

I mean if she’s not paying say…ok Sally Ann since you do not want to pay the bin has to be returned to the council per the council. And then stand there and say…let’s go get it because I’m returning it. If she refuses
tell her you are reporting it stolen or held at her house and she refuses to return it to you.

Can you arrange to be home the day the March bin collections resume? So you can make sure yours is collected and you take hers at that point?

and don’t interact with her again besides a cool impartial hello. She’s taking advantage of your kindness and generosity

billybear · 17/02/2026 23:04

we pay the fee get sent a sticker to put on it, a different colour each year. if she doesnt pay she wont get a sticker and wont get it emptied round here anyway,

roadtowhoknowswhere · 17/02/2026 23:08

After you have paid you will get a sticker for 2026 that's on your bin. That will be emptied.
She won't have a sticker so it won't be collected.

Hodge00079 · 17/02/2026 23:43

I assume that you have renewed for this year. Are you able to cancel? A bin that the council won’t collect will be of no use to them.

Original poster
ForZanyTraybake · 18/02/2026 00:03

Hodge00079 · 17/02/2026 23:43

I assume that you have renewed for this year. Are you able to cancel? A bin that the council won’t collect will be of no use to them.

I've renewed mine but not hers since she said she wouldn't pay

OP posts:
wheresthesnowgone · 18/02/2026 00:05

If OP is paying for the bin it's hers, if the neighbour is paying for the bin it's theirs, if nobody is paying for the bin it's the council's.

CheshireSplat · 18/02/2026 00:07

You're too nice, OP.

You paid 100% and she paid 50%? It would have been fairer for you both to have paid 75%.

HeddaGarbled · 18/02/2026 00:08

I wouldn’t worry about the “legally responsible” thing. You’re not going to get in any bother over it. It just won’t get emptied.

DelphiniumBlue · 18/02/2026 00:21

The cost for ours is deducted automatically, so check that you aren’t being charged for another year.

ittakes2 · 18/02/2026 01:50

Live in the south east - previous tenant left their second bin and when I started our 2nd bin account at the property we were sent another bin so ended up with 3!
just put your house number on the bin. They’ll just collect your bin then due to house number.
it’s not her bin but also not your bin. Councils don’t chase people for bins. Sometimes bins go missing regardless so I would not worry about her bin

DrCalLightman · 18/02/2026 01:55

They wont pick it up if its not been paid. If she puts it out, take it and give it back to her full after they have been every time

Swipe left for the next trending thread