AIBU to report toys left outside house blocking a narrow pavement?

[worldshottestmom]

I walk down a certain street very regularly to get to a certain place. The building I have to get to is at the end of this street and there are no other ways to access it. Outside this one house, there is constantly toys there free to a good home. I think it's lovely leaving toys out for people who may not be able to afford them, or just as a way of repurposing them so they don't immediately end up in landfill.

However, the toys are there constantly, and it's not just a few, either. It's about 3-4 boxes worth every other week, and the public path that they are left on is veeeery narrow. I was walking past today with the pram with my DD2 in it and a loose toy on the floor caused the pram to tip almost into the road before I caught it.

I knocked on the door and said to the man who answered that it's really lovely he's leaving these toys out for free, but would he mind putting them in his front garden as my pram had nearly jusut tipped into the road due to a loose toy on the floor. He said he can't put them in his front garden as it's really small and has a wall in front so no-one would see them, and that no-one else has complained about it so maybe just be a bit more careful going around it. I said I was careful but it's really hard to get past because the path is so narrow, then suggested maybe just leaving 1 box at a time so it's less of a hazard. He said he's not just leaving 1 box as he has no room in his house and wants them gone, then suggested I walk on the road (!) So I don't have to dodge them. I told him I won't be walking in the road with my daughter in the pram and he needs to do something about it and left it at that. For context, there is no path on the other side of the street.

Honestly I just feel a bit annoyed that I tried to address it politely and was met with a 'it's not my problem' attitude.

Aibu to report this as fly-tipping? I really don't want to as it would make me feel awful knowing they have kids and I'm reporting them and going to get them fined or whatever, and I know they're being generous by giving away the toys for free. I just feel I've already tried to address it and there's not much more I can otherwise do, and it's just generally getting annoying I'm ngl. I'm also weary that he is going to know that it was me who reported him, and I have to walk past this house pretty frequently.

Or take a photo and post onto Facebook marketplace giving his address

As I was reading that you’d knocked and spoken to the bloke I knew you were going to say he’d back-chatted you. No one can be told they’re in the wrong anymore can they. Yes it’s fly tipping. Piss taker.

And while she's carrying these boxes how is she going to take care of her 2 year old?

I like this advice, and thank you for not saying it with such venom. I understand your sentiment and agree completely, and I think at times I do let anger from other issues/worries spillover into things that aren't really all that significant. I only took issue with this because the path where the toys are left is literally tiny. There is just about enough room from my pram itself, the boxes are a hazard. If you could see it you would understand.

Honestly, it wasn't and wouldn't be an issue if there wasn't so many of them and the toys weren't actually scattered across the path from people playing with them - which I know isn't his fault, but it is him leaving them there so the responsibility lies with him. If my pram hadn't tipped I would have just carried on with my day as I always do, but this has been going on for months and with the pram tipping I thought I'd politely ask him does he mind moving them into his garden, which was met with a firm no, despite him leaving them on the public path legally considered fly-tipping.

I feel torn because I'm all for repurposing toys and not having them go straight into landfill, but he seems to be one of those parents who buys his kids new toys constantly, and there are boxes there constantly. Once the toys have mostly all been taken he puts new ones out. Its a lovely thing to do and I know he thinks I'm just the grouchy grinch who doesn't want free toys left on the pavement, but I'm not. Im all for it but don't leave the mess literally everywhere and put hazards in people's way when he could easily take them to charity or put them in his own garden. I just found his response dismissive and defensive, and yesterday I was annoyed about it but today im just thinking fuck it. Ill just throw the loose ones in his garden and go about my day

Precisely, I have considered going back on a day when my daughter is in nursery but then I'm thinking why the hell I am spending my time clearing up after this man who doesn't have the decency not to block a public path by keeping his stuff in his garden. No thanks

Self-importance? Overreaction? What a loaded comment. I don't think me not wanting to push my 2 year old in the road makes me self-important, nor do I believe that thinking wheelchair users etc should not have to somehow get into and out of the road to avoid his mess is self-importance, either.

I also don't believe me politely asking him if he could put his own belongings in his garden is an overreaction. I think him trying to retain his self-imposed right to frequently fly-tip on a public path at the cost of other people's safety and convenience is self-importance, as well as an overreaction.

I think its important to stick to your principles always, or else you run the risk of being walked all over and taken advantage of, and I'm certainly never doing that again.

Exactly this. I cannot believe so many people would just walk into a road with their child in a pram on clunky pavements multiple times a week just to preserve some random man's self-entitlement to dump his tat wherever he pleases. People never cease to amaze me

Its exactly like this where I am too! The path outside my house in particular is extremely narrow. People leave their bins out for days sometimes, but because they're empty I just move them into their garden for them and carry on. I would never knock on someone's door demanding they take their bins in immediately because of course people are working and have other commitments to prevent that - so that's understandable. There is one house that just leaves them there for a good 3 days after though and it is pretty annoying.

I will always hate work vans and the people who drive them parking them wherever they like though. They just don't care.

I can understand it as a one off, but this has been going on for months and I'm just wondering if it will ever end. I suspect he buys his kids toys like a lot so I don't think it'll end anytime soon.

Right?? I don't know why on earth I was expecting a reasonable response. If that was me doing it and someone told me could I please move it into my garden, I would be apologising and moving it immediately. I just don't understand some people and their self-entitlement smh

If its blocking the pavement regularly he's in the wrong, you can report it to the Council and ask the neighbourhood warden to have a word.
TBH this sounds like hoarding type behaviour, its so easy to take them to a charity shop why isn't he. I've seen this behaviour from people I know are hoarders (although not necessarily blocking thd pavement).