Neighbor filled my trash can. Furious. Long vent.

[Tonka's Skipper]

Another story like the OPs, but with a twist, years ago my parents had a elderly lady who lived next door and was on a tight income, who asked them if she could put her trash( 1 small bag a week) in their barrels for trash pick up. SHE then cut the pick up service. My folks said sure. Believe it or not, their Mrs. Kravitz,(likely a cousin to the OP's Mrs. Kravitz) that lived across the street, called the trash service and reported the elderly lady was putting trash in my parents barrel. The elderly lady got a nasty letter from the trash service and was told she cannot put trash in other peoples barrel and would be fined if she did in again.

The Mrs. Kravitz finally told my parents that she had reported the elderly lady as she didn't think it was right. My folk were ready to it the overhead and my Dad in is usual way told her politely it was not her business. My dad called the trash pick up, explained why the elderly lady was putting her bag in his trash and wanted the bill sent to him from then on. The trash service, to their credit, told him not to worry about, they would take care of it and she could continue to put the bag it my parents barrel!

Seems the Mrs. Kravitz called again about it and got a ear full from the trash service to mind her own business.


AKK

 

[whitney250]

She'd have gotten these hands. Don't you ever disrespect me. Especially in my own yard! She's lucky that you're more level-headed than I because I honestly would've opened her bags and scattered her trash all over her yard. If you want to be Petty McPitiful, I can be Petty Wap.

Thank you for venting, I got angry along with you! It's your yard and it's your trashcan! If no one else reports her stinkin' attitude, I hope you do. 'Cause ain't nobody got time for that!

"Petty Wap" Love it!

 

[sunshinemelody]

"Petty Wap" Love it!

Haha, thank you!

 

[barkley]

Another story like the OPs, but with a twist, years ago my parents had a elderly lady who lived next door and was on a tight income, who asked them if she could put her trash( 1 small bag a week) in their barrels for trash pick up. SHE then cut the pick up service. My folks said sure. Believe it or not, their Mrs. Kravitz,(likely a cousin to the OP's Mrs. Kravitz) that lived across the street, called the trash service and reported the elderly lady was putting trash in my parents barrel. The elderly lady got a nasty letter from the trash service and was told she cannot put trash in other peoples barrel and would be fined if she did in again.

I think that was the rule w/garbage service in one city we lived b/c if a customer discovered stuff in their cans they didn't put in they could contact the garbage company who would 'investigate'-which entailed them sending someone out who looked to see if there was any identifying information which they then used to contact the 'offender' and potentially fine them.

 

[Tonka's Skipper]

I think that was the rule w/garbage service in one city we lived b/c if a customer discovered stuff in their cans they didn't put in they could contact the garbage company who would 'investigate'-which entailed them sending someone out who looked to see if there was any identifying information which they then used to contact the 'offender' and potentially fine them.

You are correct............it was in my parents paperwork. However the difference from the OP and my parents , was the elderly lady asked first. I guess it was cheating the trash service, but in the end my Dad offered to pay for the elderly lady and they were good enough to forget whole matter.

AK

 

[HM]

I have had my across the door neighbor add things to our trash a least once. I didn't say anything when I discovered it (but if I had been in the OPs situatio, with a can that won't close, I probably would have). If I were to find them doing it again, I'd go ask them to ask me next time.

I know some municipalities charge per pound for trash. That would make adding trash to someone's can a huge problem.

 

[mefordis]

A lot of PP have stated this and that's not the way to go when you pay for your trash to be picked up. It teaches the neighbor that you condone their behavior when in reality you don't and shouldn't. Get the confrontation out of the way and the neighbor wants to act like they're in their terrible two's then so be it.

Sometimes being passive aggressive isn't the way to go.

I guess I view it as a choice between having your entire day ruined and a long term bad relationship with a neighbor vs being ticked off for about 30 mins until I got over it. I will go out of my way to be on good terms with my neighbors just because the alternative is very unsettling to me. However, I don't think the op was necessarily wrong, I just would not have handled it that way myself. Now, if it happened continuously to the point where I could not fit my own garbage in, or if the lid was not shut because she stuffed trash in and they did not take it away, that would cause me to have a polite conversation with her.

 

[MickeySP]

Hi OP. Does your neighbor not pay for trash service or was their can totally full and they were putting the overflow in yours? If you pay for trash service as part of the HOA fee, I can sort of see her point in that you all pay the same amount and it doesn't matter whose container it is put into. There is still no need for her to be rude about it, though! You caught her doing something wrong and called her out on it. Some people do not react well to that at all!

Heck I don't have enough room in my garage for all my junk, since you paid the same for your house in our neighborhood I think I will put my stuff in yours. Heck we paid they same so what's the big deal.
She pays for HER service not her neighbors.

LOL! What's going to happen when there are millions of them walking around from the "Everybody Gets a Trophy"/ "Safe Space" era?

Oh believe me we are seeing it already. At least where I work, and when parents come in you can see the "My kid would never do that, you're lying"

I've been trying to figure out the reason behind the open lid ban and realized the HOA probably set it up that way to prevent trash from being blown around the neighborhood and animals easily getting into open trash. I guess looking at it that way makes some kind of sense.

What I haven't been able to understand is, what happens if you have too much trash one week to be able to fit all in your container, or if you didn't know who put theirs in, overfilling your container and it didn't get picked up because of the open lid? I can foresee being perpetually trying to catch up getting rid of trash without overfilling your bin, but constantly having old, smelly trash hanging around. Kind of defeats the purpose of trying to keep critters away.

We have the open lid thing here in my town, it is town wide no HOA. Our taxes allow 1 barrel or bag, all the recycling you can put out & one larger non-electronic or large appliance. They will be put a big red sticker on your can if you violate. We are a pay-as-you-throw town., If you want to put out more you buys green bags from the town at a $1 a pop.

 

[NotUrsula]

I've been trying to figure out the reason behind the open lid ban and realized the HOA probably set it up that way to prevent trash from being blown around the neighborhood and animals easily getting into open trash. I guess looking at it that way makes some kind of sense. ...

If the can is the sort with slots or a bar that fits on the truck lift, the problem with an open lid is that as the lift tilts, the contents will begin to spill before the can is over the truck opening. You can end up with a lot of garbage missing the truck and landing on the street.

Every time I hear stories like this I'm so glad I live in a place where waste disposal is just part of our property tax bill. We have alleys behind our homes, with dumpsters in the alley every 50 feet or so, for yard waste, recycling, and garbage. If the appropriate dumpster nearest my house is full, I just keep walking until I find one that has room.

 

[Mortlives]

I guess I view it as a choice between having your entire day ruined and a long term bad relationship with a neighbor vs being ticked off for about 30 mins until I got over it. I will go out of my way to be on good terms with my neighbors just because the alternative is very unsettling to me. However, I don't think the op was necessarily wrong, I just would not have handled it that way myself. Now, if it happened continuously to the point where I could not fit my own garbage in, or if the lid was not shut because she stuffed trash in and they did not take it away, that would cause me to have a polite conversation with her.

But the OP stated that she couldn't fit her trash in, and the neighbour had filled it to the point where it wouldn't have been picked up at all. In addition, she also mentioned that you have to pay for extra bags in her HOA. So, it's not just a small thing to suck up, it's an inconvenience and an added expense.

 

[MaryLovesPoohBear]

What I haven't been able to understand is, what happens if you have too much trash one week to be able to fit all in your container, or if you didn't know who put theirs in, overfilling your container and it didn't get picked up because of the open lid? I can foresee being perpetually trying to catch up getting rid of trash without overfilling your bin, but constantly having old, smelly trash hanging around. Kind of defeats the purpose of trying to keep critters away.

When my parents had similar rules, they were suppose to call the company and they paid for an "extra pickup." The price varied based on what they needed picked up.

When they moved, I spoke directly to the people picking up, and I gave them a cash tip to take the extra 6 bags.

 

[cabanafrau]

If the can is the sort with slots or a bar that fits on the truck lift, the problem with an open lid is that as the lift tilts, the contents will begin to spill before the can is over the truck opening. You can end up with a lot of garbage missing the truck and landing on the street.

Every time I hear stories like this I'm so glad I live in a place where waste disposal is just part of our property tax bill. We have alleys behind our homes, with dumpsters in the alley every 50 feet or so, for yard waste, recycling, and garbage. If the appropriate dumpster nearest my house is full, I just keep walking until I find one that has room.

Yes, I speculated not having trash strewn about was part of the reason for the policy. We have the large waste company rolling containers with lids here that are picked up at the curb by the motorized arms. Some people still have old school trash cans and bags out that the garbagemen toss in the truck. Today is our trash pickup and we have super high winds, which probably means there will be some trash blowing about our neighborhood when I get home.

 

[sonnyjane]

What I haven't been able to understand is, what happens if you have too much trash one week to be able to fit all in your container, or if you didn't know who put theirs in, overfilling your container and it didn't get picked up because of the open lid? I can foresee being perpetually trying to catch up getting rid of trash without overfilling your bin, but constantly having old, smelly trash hanging around. Kind of defeats the purpose of trying to keep critters away.

For us you can either pay extra for special city trash bags (ours are expensive - $4 per bag), you can schedule a special pick-up at an extra cost, or you drive the stuff to the dump yourself ($10 minimum, total cost based on weight, and a 40-minute round trip adventure for us). Our town is really trying to reduce trash, so they give us each a giant 96-gallon bin for recyclables, a 96-gallon bin for yard waste and other organics, but then only a tiny 32-gallon bin for trash. For us, that translates to ONE black trash bag per week. I really wish we had more space because you're absolutely right, it leads to us sometimes getting "back-logged" or more often, we just end up not taking the kitchen trash out until the end of the week which means we tolerate some smells that we would prefer not to if we had more room in our bin.

That's why I completely sympathize with the OP. If someone did that in our neighborhood, if we didn't take their stuff out, we'd be SOL.

 

[rigs32]

I like our rules because it does keep a nice curb appeal. I don't think I would like couches and multiple trash bags lining the street twice a week.

I don't really understand this, though I know it's a popular point of view. Is trash out for pickup for a few hours really that upsetting? We create trash that needs to go someplace. It's not as though there will be couches on the curb all the time.

 

[bcla]

I don't really understand this, though I know it's a popular point of view. Is trash out for pickup for a few hours really that upsetting? We create trash that needs to go someplace. It's not as though there will be couches on the curb all the time.

I suppose it's considered an eyesore if left out too long. I remember a controversy in San Francisco when they instituted a fine for keeping cans outside past 6 PM. A lot of people didn't even get home by that time, and pickup was typically during the day after most people left for work.

I grew up where the can was supposed to be left outside on trash day, perhaps in the back and out of sight from the street. It still should be kept indoors because of animals. Some areas with bears recommend or mandate the use of bearproof trash enclosures, and those are less of an eyesore than exposed cans. Heck, I learned quickly that I couldn't leave my trash out overnight since that's when raccoons will tip over cans looking for food.

 

[snapppyd]

Years ago we were getting extra charges from our sanitation company because of excess garbage. Found it our neighbor from across
the street was putting his garbage with ours.

 

[Livvie]

I would have just dumped them on her steps and left. I am amazed at some of the trash laws someplaces- pay per can? Won't take with the lid open? I can put six cans out if I want, add a bunch of trash bags next to them and a couch and they take it all- its the same price for one can as for 10 lids, no lids, lids up, lids down-doesn't matter. 4 times a week the truck comes, twice for regular garbage/trash, once for garden waste, and once for cans/papers.

Four times a week? Our pick up is twice a month!

 

[AppleDumpling]

Our trash is picked up twice a week and it's included in our property taxes. You don't have the choice to not pay for it.

Op, in your situation I certainly understand being annoyed. How can people be so inconsiderate? I am fortunate that I am friendly with and get along with most of my neighbors. There are a few that stay to themselves but don't bother anyone.

 

[book_junkie]

We get something similar. We're in an apartment complex (*"luxury"*) and it's supposed to have valet trash Sunday- Thursday, only what fits in the decorative cans plus one outside and it all has to be in trash bags, not grocery bags, etc.

We've had neighbor kids drop soda bottles in our box, others drop tied grocery bags in the box- none of which the garbage people will take so we had to go in with gloves and clean out. Then we found our trash not being taken for weeks at a time- the "management" had mistakenly marked our apartment as vacant instead of the same # in another building, and they didn't check the bin. Then the neighbor decided to use ours for their overflow, and we had to fight the fine.

We are counting the weeks until our house is ready and we can break this lease.

 

[BunsenH]

This reminds me of a 50 year old story.

"And I said, "Yes sir, Officer Obie, I cannot tell a lie. I put that envelope
Under that garbage." After speakin' to Obie for about forty-five minutes on
The telephone, we finally arrived at the truth of the matter and he said
That we had to go down and pick up the garbage, and also had to go down and
Speak to him at the Police Officer Station. So we got in the red VW microbus
With the shovels and rakes and implements of destruction and headed on
Toward the Police Officer Station.".............