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Original poster

Binmen have stolen valuables from infront of house - anyone had this?

101 replies

anon122414 · 27/05/2020 20:54

Title says it all really! The binmen came onto our property today and took a box of exercise equipment and a mirror (both which were left in front of the garage) but you need to walk about 10m down the drive past our cars to get to it. We leave our bins on the pavement for them.

Anyone had this happen and know what I should?

OP posts:
BackforGood · 27/05/2020 22:36

Like most people, if you leave something out the front, then it is for taking where I live.

It's a great way of getting rid of stuff you don't want, and a great way of freecycling.

It's happened a lot more over the last few weeks with Charity shops shut and the tip shut and people decluttering whilst other folk are out for their daily walks. It's brilliant. Stuff people don't want gets taken away, people who want stuff get free stuff.

Why on earth would you put stuff on your drive if it were valuable stuff you still wanted ? Confused Even if you aren't familiar with the passing stuff on' etiquette, surely you realise it would be at risk of being stolen. What would you leave it there ?

SoupDragon · 27/05/2020 22:39

No, they shouldn't have taken it and you are right to complain.

I still can't work out why you'd leave "valuables" on your front drive though.

SoupDragon · 27/05/2020 22:41

What kind of a country do we live in where we are led to presume that we are unable to leave anything at the front of our properties for fear that it will be taken?

I'm guessing you never lock your doors either. Or your car.

blacksax · 27/05/2020 22:42
  1. You left valuables outside your house.
  2. The bin men came.
  3. They emptied your grey bin.
  4. You saw them move some random blue box.
  5. You did not see the binmen with your valuables.
  6. Some time later you notice your valuables are missing.

So you didn't see the binmen actually take the stuff, did you?

And there was a period of time in between the bin men leaving and you going outside and noticing that the valuables were missing.

Oh dear. Your insurers won't pay up for valuables left unattended on your drive, will they? Unless you say it was the binmen of course.

JamMakingWannaBe · 27/05/2020 22:43

There's no way my bin men would do this. The back of the bin lorry lifts the bins to empty them and it's too high for the crew to physically throw stuff into the back of the lorry (not like the old days).
Plus, they are not allowed to go into gardens and remove stuff.
Unless you actually saw them do it, it's unlikely to be the bin men that took it.
(Appreciate women can be refuse collectors too).

strugglingwithdeciding · 27/05/2020 22:43

Umm we live in a country where thieves break into people's vans and houses so obviously leaving something in your unsecured front garden is a risk , would you leave you car on your drive with the keys in??
Also you mention they came on property and you thought they were collecting blue bin should that of been put out as well ? If not why didn't you go out then if so and your boxes were in front of bin maybe they thought you had forgot and were doing you a favour
Or maybe even someone else took them

CornishTiger · 27/05/2020 22:47

There will be cctv. Do you want the items back. If so they can prob trace them

Bluntness100 · 27/05/2020 22:47

Did you put the wrong bin out? Why were they taking the blue bin, and you thought they were doing you a favour, that would indicate you had the wrong bin out?

So they thought it was rubbish? That’s why they took it. I very much doubt they nicked your stuff, what were they supposed to do, sit with it on their knees in the truck? They clearly thought it was rubbish to go out so threw it in the back with the rest of the refuse.

Veterinari · 27/05/2020 22:47

I'm baffled as to why you'd leave a box of valuable items unsecured by your blue bin on bin day and then be upset when they were taken. Do you live in a theft-free utopia?
Anyone could have taken them.

My advice would be to store your valuables securely

Original poster
anon122414 · 27/05/2020 22:50

@CornishTiger

There will be cctv. Do you want the items back. If so they can prob trace them
Do you mean CCTV on the truck? If so that's good news
OP posts:
Legoandloldolls · 27/05/2020 22:55

You need to phone them up and check but I would be surprised if the lorry doesn't have quit a few cameras. They have all sorts of tech on them. That's how they protect themselves from.people who say my bin was missed today. They are tracked and phone bins that they cant collect. So I would suprised if they have done anything they shouldn't have.

Original poster
anon122414 · 27/05/2020 22:57

@Legoandloldolls

You need to phone them up and check but I would be surprised if the lorry doesn't have quit a few cameras. They have all sorts of tech on them. That's how they protect themselves from.people who say my bin was missed today. They are tracked and phone bins that they cant collect. So I would suprised if they have done anything they shouldn't have.
Great, that's helpful. My plan is to call the council tomorrow and see what can be done.
OP posts:
imnottoofussed · 27/05/2020 22:59

Could it be the scrap van that collected it? We have a van comes along looking for scrap metal and other junk they can recycle or sell. If you leave things out the front they generally think it's for them.

isabellerossignol · 27/05/2020 22:59

Not to be rude but I find it a bit daft that people genuinely purchase houses (for hundreds of thousands of pounds) and willingly accept having the freedom to leave whatever they like ON THEIR PROPERTY taken away from them. Very interesting to me.

It's not so much that I happily accept it, just that I'm realistic. If you leave something unsecured and visible, opportunist thieves may take it. Me deciding that I'm not going to accept that wouldn't actually change the situation.

As it happens, I've never actually had something stolen from outside my house, but I don't kid myself that it couldn't happen.

Applesandpears23 · 27/05/2020 23:00

Here the bin men only take rubbish but the neighbours take anything left in the front garden. If it is left out the front it is presumed to be unwanted.

fiftyandfat · 27/05/2020 23:04

We have had a spate of car thefts recently. We only have an old banger that nobody would want, but people with newer/ nicer cars are fed up.
Theft is rife.

Beautiful3 · 27/05/2020 23:13

I do not think it was them. It could have easily been a scrap man, they drive around all day looking for things on drives.

slashlover · 27/05/2020 23:13

Not to be rude but I find it a bit daft that people genuinely purchase houses (for hundreds of thousands of pounds) and willingly accept having the freedom to leave whatever they like ON THEIR PROPERTY taken away from them. Very interesting to me.

OP why do you think Amazon etc asks for a secure place to leave a delivery and aren't supposed to leave it in a random place in the garden? Would you leave your TV/laptop/money sitting outside of your property?

TARSCOUT · 27/05/2020 23:16

You are being seriously naive if you think in this day and age your 'valuables' are not at risk of being stolen leaving them unattended. Thieves don't just steal from pavements. If the refuse collectors uplifted your goods then it would not have been to steal them (and I do think YABU in accusing them of this without proof), as the waste in the truck is compacted in order as much waste as possible can be carried in the truck before it has to return to disposal centre. You could attempt to claim on your insurance however they will I imagine leaving valuables unattended will render your claim invalid.

GetawayfromthatWelshtart · 27/05/2020 23:24

I'm sorry but why did you leave "valuable" items outside in a cardboard box on bin day? That's a very stupid thing to do.

LOTS of bin people will pick up boxes full of crap and larger items if left out on bin day if they have enough room in the back of the trucks. They do it with ours.

Either they removed the items because YOU left them OUTSIDE on BIN DAY and they thought they were just crap in a cardboard box and a rubbish old mirror OR someone else has come along and pinched them.

If they were so "valuable" then why are you just leaving them outside? Why didn't you move them into the garage or house if they were so "valuable"?

Judiwench · 27/05/2020 23:29

It's highly unlikely this was the bin crew. They're not allowed to lift things that aren't in the bin for a start...you can call the council but the response will be they didnt do it.

Judiwench · 27/05/2020 23:31

Blue bin is recycling right? Then they wouldn't have put a mirror in, the hopper crushes and this would contaminate the entire load.

TitianaTitsling · 27/05/2020 23:36

My plan is to call the council tomorrow and see what can be done.. What are 3 expecting to be done? The council to say 'oh absolutely believe you, how much money do you want to replace things'?

Floralnomad · 27/05/2020 23:46

So back to my original point you didn’t actually see the binmen take the items it could have been someone earlier on in the day as you only saw the binmen with the blue bin .

Original poster
anon122414 · 27/05/2020 23:49

@Floralnomad

So back to my original point you didn’t actually see the binmen take the items it could have been someone earlier on in the day as you only saw the binmen with the blue bin .
Fair but I live on a private road. It was the binmen or it was my 75 year old neighbour.
OP posts: