Neighbours dumping rubbish in my bin

Out,_Vile_Jelly

I don't live in an especially rough area, but there are a lot of "cheeky urchin" type kids out playing late, so only ever put my various bins out first thing on the morning of Bin Day. I think this is the simplest solution.

EachPenny

theartfullodger wrote: »

It's not "your" bin, it belongs to the council.

I've lived in areas where typically bins are left out at side of road - up to 20/30. Who cares who puts what in which bins, as long as categorisation (re-cycling, garden waste, general rubbish) is complied with.

Many councils require the bins to display the house number, or have them microchipped or match the bin serial number to a particular dwelling.

If anything is in 'your' bin which shouldn't be then it (a) won't be emptied and (b) starts the warning/fining process.

If 'your' bin is contaminated then you have to sort the carp out yourself before the council will empty it again.

If all the bins are left together in an unofficial communal arrangement then eventually there will be no recycling bins being emptied as the lazy *********** will have contaminated them all.

And it is definitely "your" bin (not the council's) when it gets stolen and you ask the council to provide a replacement.

theartfullodger

EachPenny wrote: »

...........
If all the bins are left together in an unofficial communal arrangement then eventually there will be no recycling bins being emptied as the lazy *********** will have contaminated them all............

I'm thinking of a series of houses/low blocks of flats where them all being out together has been going on for well over a decade. afaik council doing nothing nor will they.





Have a look round a few crowded old council estates or schemes.....

EachPenny

agrinnall wrote: »

It is a better result than not doing anything though, as even if there are no fines the recycling bins just won't get emptied and if they have festering waste in them you can guarantee that there will soon be an infestation of vermin (4 or more legged as well as the 2 legged ones who are too thick to use the right bin in the first place) to deal with too.

A 'good' result would be if the council responded to reports of bin 'abuse' by going through the rubbish to find materials identifying the culprits and fine/prosecute them.

Invariably the two-legged vermin throw junk mail or letters away in their rubbish, which they put into other people's bins (rubbish or recycling) which the council could use as evidence for prosecution. Usually though the council will just send threatening letters to the 'victim', and take no further action when the situation is explained to them.

Peggy0628

Hi and thanks for all replies.

I'll try to reply to the points raised (sorry if I forget any).

1) Putting a lock on the recycling bin (dry recyclables and garden waste) is not possible. The binmen always look inside it before emptying it, if they can't visually check it's not contaminated, they won't collect it. Non-recyclable bin doesn't really need a lock as it gets emptied regardless.

2) Putting the bin out in the early morning on the day of collection is a problem. I work unsocial hours (night shifts) and usually get home after the bins were already emptied. I could only do this every 4 or 5 collections (so once in 8 or 10 weeks) and the bin will only hold 4 weeks worth of recycling (might stretch it to 5 weeks at most). My partner is disabled so can't put the bin out himself. We can't get assisted collection from the council as the bins are in the back garden and the gate is locked from the inside). Can't leave the gate unlocked for safety/security reasons (like I said, it's a rough area with a lot of anti-social behaviour, drug and alcohol abuse, burglaries, robberies etc).

3) I contacted the council about the problem. They said they'll look into it within 10 working days. Will wait and see what happens. All bins have serial numbers on them so should be traceable to individual properties even if they have no house numbers on them (according to council, the bins should have numbers but most in this area don't). But tracing them would require effort on the council's part.
I also reported (again) the dumped furniture that's been sitting there since before we moved in. They did nothing about it the first time we complained.

4) Also asked them if they could fit alley gates (there are only 2 entrances into the alleys, 1 is pedestrian access only and the other is for vehicle access - the binmen use this one). It would prevent random people who do not live here from littering (plus it would narrow down the number of people who could be dumping rubbish in the wrong place). Most alleys in the area have gates with spikes on top, for some reason our alley doesn't...

5) Removing the recycling bins wouldn't make much difference. It seems that we are the only house that recycles (judging by the number of recycling bins standing in the alley overflowing with non-recyclable rubbish). They rubbish would just get dumped on the ground instead.

6) Vermin is a problem already. I've seen rats running in the alleys (and neighbour's garden) several times. Luckily our garden is tidy and maintained so there is nothing there to attract them. Some other gardens are overgrown and untidy though.
Two-legged vermin is selling/using drugs, drinking, urinating in the alleys etc. and leaving their rubbish all over the ground or throwing it over walls into gardens. Police raids are a common occurrence but it still continues. If the gates are fitted, this would hopefully stop.

7) We have considered not recycling and just putting everything in the non-recyclable bin but it just doesn't feel right...

So now we'll wait and see how the council handles the whole situation.

luvchocolate

AdrianC wrote: »

The ridiculous thing is that there's people out there who think that's a good result.

If you lived with communal bins and the recycled one was constantly filled with food and smelt awful and rats were seen in the area...then yes it was a good result.

scd3scd4

How about a nice little lock??

AdrianC

luvchocolate wrote: »

AdrianC wrote:

The ridiculous thing is that there's people out there who think that's a good result.

If you lived with communal bins and the recycled one was constantly filled with food and smelt awful and rats were seen in the area...then yes it was a good result.

<sigh> No, that's not what I meant at all, as I'm sure you know.


Obviously, mixing non-recyclables in with the recyclables should not be happening. This does not mean recycling is a bad thing. However, there are people out there who think recycling is a bad thing and some kind of conspiracy.

TBagpuss

The gravity locks wouldn't work if they check inside first, but you could ask about other types.
e.g. (i) Padlock with numerical code - give the code to the council but not anyone else
(ii) lock with key I've seen them on larger dumpster style bins where it is just a triangular lock like you have on meter cupboards - provide key to council / bin men.
It might be worth asking the council whether ether option would be acceptable to them.

I'd communicate via e-mail or post and keep copies, that way, at the very least you have evidence that you have advised them of the issue and suggested solutions.

Does your partner work? Would it be possible for them to unlock the gate just before the collection is due, and re-lock it afterwards, and request assisted collection?

googler

Peggy0628 wrote: »

There is a high brick wall so once the bin is out, I can't see it from my house (not even from upstairs).

Is there anywhere you could install a wireless camera to keep an eye on things?

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Arlo-Smart-Home-Security-Wire-Free/dp/B00TDNYOB6/ref=sr_1_13?ie=UTF8&qid=1539727399&sr=8-13&keywords=arlo+alarm