Neighbours have filled our bins

[dottypencilcase]

We've just moved into a house that was previously vacant for about 3 months. This is our first week in and we've noticed that someone else keeps using our bins and putting things in the wrong bin! We've now got a general waste bin full of maggots and I don't know what to do. Do we have to sort through the bin and clear it out? Or do we contact the council and ask them to take this bin away/request a new bin? Lived in a flat prior to this so don't know where to begin.

You wouldn't be able to do that here. They'd also charge for a van to access (on the basis it might be commercial waste).

What you might get away with at the tip is black bags (so literally pour the contents of the bin straight in) and have the top layer of the bag be visible grossness that cannot be recycled. That the only way to dump rubbish at our tip because they open "rubbish" bags to inspect them, otherwise they expect you to breakdown and recycle things.

There'll be waste contractors in your area too, maybe the bin cleaning people will recommend someone to clear your bins for you. They probably have requests like this all the time.

Definitely get a gravity bin lock though. Then it doesn't matter where you store the bin, only the key holder can pop rubbish in and the bin lorry and empty out.

B&Q sell a bin powder that gets rid of the smell and would kill off any potential maggots. Perhaps sprinkle your bin contents, leave for a couple of days and then decant into strong bin bags and take to the tip. Then follow other advice above for the future.

When you say skylights, I assume you mean fixed ones and not veluxes? Veluxes are super easy to clean, just a bit of a leap of faith the first time you spin it.

This is so easy. Wash it out, use bleach. If you see any neighbours ask them firmly to stop using your bin!

I'd call the council and explain. I think ours would probably sort it for us and deliver a new bin.

We had this when we moved into a private key years ago. Found our bins halfway up the street. Bin men wouldn’t take the bins at all.
I literally had to don marigolds with bags by my side and sort through it. It was disgusting 🤢

thankfully it wasn’t an existing neighbour who was using them, the previous tenant had done it.

I did make use of the local bin cleaner once they were emptied though

Our bin cleaners also do waste removal - £10 to empty, £3.50 to clean

Once you've cleaned the bins, get gravity locks unless the binmen won't take them if they can't first lift the lid to check what's in there, in which case get normal locks and unlock them bin day morning.

Or.
Get some paint and on the inside of the lid write "stop putting your rubbish in my bin you absolute wanker."

What are they going to do? Come to your door and complain that they saw a rude note while filling your bin with their shit? 🤷

We bought gravity locks for our bins after discovering other people’s rubbish in them.

Where I live, you pay for a private bin collection service and the bins are weighed when emptied, so you’re also charged for the weight of the rubbish being removed and not everyone can be bothered to pay for the service. It was a while afterwards when I spotted the neighbour from across the road trying to open our bins and the look of surprise that the lid wouldn’t open. 😂