A woman has asked for advice after claiming her neighbours have been filling her bins to the brim for six years, leaving her kitchen stinking and her unable to dispose of her own rubbish.
The homeowner, who posted on Reddit's Neighbours From Hell forum, said she works so much that she cannot regularly put rubbish out. By the time she gets around to it, the bins are already full, meaning she has to keep "five bags of stinky trash lingering" in the kitchen. She said the people next door "fill it to the top like they own it," leaving no space for her own household waste, and that this happens weekly rather than as a one-off.
Husband's Response and Fears of Retaliation
In her post, the woman explained that her husband had started dumping the neighbours' trash bags by their own bin and pulling theirs up, but she said she is scared the neighbours might retaliate or be dangerous, noting she has never met them. She described living in "misery" and being sick of "having a dirty house" because there is "nowhere" to put the rubbish except in the kitchen.
Reddit Users Suggest Cameras and Bin Locks
In the comments, several users offered suggestions. One wrote: "Your husband should definitely keep handling it the way he has been and dumping it on their property. I doubt there's much you could do unless they tried to retaliate, honestly. Would it be possible to point a camera toward where the trash gets picked up?"
Another suggested: "You can get motion sensor and microphone cameras, even. Literally catch them in the act, say you can see them, and have the direct conversations red-handed. Let them know they need to get a bigger garbage bin...if they are overflowing regularly."
A third commenter advised labelling the bins: "Do you have the garbage cans labelled with your address or unit? If not, add it. It may be that someone believes the cans are for communal use. You might consider adding a taped note to the interior or lid of the garbage can. Maybe something like 'Address X only. Any other garbage will be removed'."
A fourth suggested getting a "lock" for the bin so the neighbours could not access it, leaving only the homeowners able to put their rubbish in.
