Sometimes, moving into a new house can be a bit of a gamble when it comes to the neighbours you’ll end up living next to. Most people are at least civil with their neighbours and don’t want to cause any problems, but not everyone is like that.
Unfortunately, some people feel they have the right to do whatever they want, which can mean listening to loud music through your walls at 2am or constantly fighting to access your own driveway.
One man, however, has encountered a unique problem with his “entitled” neighbour. In a post on Reddit, the man revealed that his neighbour has a “disgusting” habit when it comes to his wheelie bins – and it affects him too.
Not only does the neighbour leave “full soda cans” and “stinking milk cartons” in his bin without emptying their rancid contents first, he doesn’t use his own bins – he uses the poster’s.
The man said: “My next-door neighbour (renter) has just started [using my trash and recycling can]. First, it was a tree trunk, three feet long and eight inches in diameter (estimated). The trash man doesn’t take tree limbs, so I had to pull it out and scratched my arms all to hell.
“This week was the recycling can. Bins are at the kerb. I go to put a box in, and it’s full of their recycling – not just boxes, half-full soda cans, stinking milk cartons, etc.”
The man claimed he knows his bins are usually clean as he keeps them in his garage and only takes them out the night before collection day. But every time he checks them when they’re outside, they’re full of his neighbour’s rubbish.
He claimed he’s contacted the landlord of the property who urged him to “take it up with the renter” himself. But commenters have said it’s the landlord’s job to solve the problem.
One person said: “Have a quick conversation telling him to please go get his own cans and not to use yours. If they continue, pour the contents back on his side. Simple.”
Another added: “The tenant is paying the landlord, not you. It is up to him to get the renter under control. Inform the landlord that the next time his junk is in your bin, you will return his property and dump it on his lawn.”
Is it illegal to use someone else’s bin?
In the UK, using someone else’s wheelie bin to dispose of your rubbish could be classed as fly-tipping, which is illegal. Fly-tipping is defined as the illegal depositing of waste on land, and that includes leaving rubbish in someone else’s wheelie bin without their permission.
If your bin is overflowing, you are allowed to ask your neighbour if they have space in their bin for some of your rubbish. However, you can only use it if they agree – otherwise it still counts as fly-tipping.
According to British Bins, getting caught putting your rubbish in someone else’s bin can result in a fine of up to £400, but if your fly-tipping is on a larger scale, the fine could be even higher.
