Sharing a black bin

[0lly]

This is a bit silly but here goes. I live on my own and recycle my cans etc. in the blue bin which isn't a problem, but the amount of rubbish I get (tea bags and chip paper etc.) is so small it doesn't even fill a carrier bag in two weeks, so what I do is that I wait while the neighbours put their bin out and then I put my carrier bag in one of their bins.

The trouble is my neighbours don't like it and sometimes I come out of my front door to find a pile of rubbish on my doorstep.

My questions are these
1. Am I doing wrong? I admit I haven't asked them.
2. Am I committing an offence?
3. Are my neighbours committing an offence by littering. As I understand it bins are there to have rubbish put into them, but to take rubbish out and put it by someone's front door surely has to be an offence. They even put rubbish on my step that is not mine.

I feel I would like to stand my ground and I had an enormous row with them yesterday because two of them like to think they own the drive and I feel that if I give into them, my life won't be worth living.

The bin men simply tip the rubbish out of one bin into another anyway and then simply empty the one bin into the back of the lorry.

What course of action do you think I should take, I could use my bin but it seems so silly and I am 68 years of age but fairly fit. Answers appreciated.
Thanks.

[Mamyalynne]

No the consensus is, if you had asked in the first place all might have been well.

[albaqwerty]

our bin men don't look in the bins, they hook them up to the gadget on the back of the lorry, press the button and the machine howks them in.

[2sp_]

Good grief, 0lly!

If you had done the right thing in the first place and ASKED your neighbour if it would be OK to use their bin, they may have said yes and you wouldn't have this problem.

YOU caused this bad feeling between you and them.

If you want to spend the rest of your life bitter about where you put your bag of rubbish every week, then that really is such a sad state of affairs.

[albaqwerty]

oh btw, they are not allowed to touch bags of rubbish with their hands.
At least not in our area.

[Mick-Talbot]

I will put my small amount of rubbish in my bin and think bad thoughts while I wheel it backwards and forwards


At least you will only be thinking bad thoughts every fortnight.

[boxtops]

Our binmen look in the bins - if there is anything on the surface which is not in the right category, they won't take the bin at all.

[0lly]

albaqwerty. You would have to see the driveway to understand. It is one long hedge and while I was doing mine I did the others. No-one has complained and I have been doing it for at least ten years and nobody even comes out to help sweep up or clear the rubbish away and that gives me a real headache, So I put it in my bin over a period of weeks.

[Mamyalynne]

You want bin fun and games, live here - 9 flats to one rather large (but certainly not as large as 9 black bins) communal bin. If someone has a party or a clear out the chances of it being full of all the wrong stuff 3 days before emptying is quite likely.

[0lly]

OK so I made a mistake and didn't ask. I couldn't see it being a problem, I didn't know grown-ups could be so childish.

[albaqwerty]

aah I see. I think you're neighbours might be taking you for granted then.

However, I still think it would have been best to have asked them. Anne has made a good point. Do the bin men come at a regular time? if so, pop out 5/10mins before they arrive and talk the bag for a walk and accidentally on purpose leave it in a bin.

Are they superstrict that the bin-lid is firmly shut?

[ummmm]

If it's a black wheelie bin, which tend to stay outside, what is the issue in letting it fill up a bit?

[Baldric]

I'm just thinking for a 68 year old newbie Olly is very au fait with the site,
must be a silver surfer!
;o)

[Barmaid]

I read it that Anne was suggesting that Olly pops out and puts his small bag in an ordinary street bin.

That's bad advice since MOST councils have byelaws to prevent domestic waste being dumped in street bins.

I read recently about someone being fined for this.

[0lly]

albaqwerty. Yes the bin-men are superstrict about the lid being down and I would never cause anyone a problem. I just think people are horrible, I am only sorry it has taken me so long to realise.

I will wait till the bin-men come and give it to them. I only hope they don't ask me to put it in a bin.

[albaqwerty]

I never thought of it that way BM.
The typed word can give different impressions :-)

Boxy, the only time our council guys looked in the bin was on the first uplift of the blue one to make sure the right contents were in it. They like to think they've got us trained now.

[Barmaid]

That might be the answer Olly - cultivate your bin men (as I have done mine) and they don't mind bending the rules for you.

I'm dead sweet to them - always have a chat (if I'm about) and give them a Christmas box. Consequently, I get away with murder ;)

[cazzz1975]

why not do as ummm suggested and let it build up? you would only have to bring it out every so often so its a win win...

[ummmm]

Thank god I don't have a wheelie bin anymore.

[Robinia]

A couple of christmases ago an old lady near me opened her black bin to find it crammed full of wrapping paper and packaging...someone had been after dark knowing she was on her own & had little rubbish. Her only gripe was that they didn't ask first!
That said, I do have some sympathy..When I had older neighbours we shared all kinds of small chores, even though it was 'the blind leading the blind' :). As they passed away and younger ones arrived I've found if you do anything that benefits them they let you carry on with no thanks or return...
Go back to putting your own rubbish in your own bin...but one day your neighbours just might need to put something in yours one day....

[Robinia]

*oops, too many 'one day's