Is your go-to rubbish bin tactic illegal? This mum's revelation sparks debate
- Replies 16
When it comes to managing household waste, we all have our strategies to ensure our bins don't overflow before collection day.
But what happens when your best efforts still leave you with a mountain of rubbish and nowhere to put it?
This is the conundrum that sparked a fiery debate, thanks to one mum's confession.
Brooke Bliss, a social media personality and mother of three from the New South Wales Mid North Coast, took to social media to share her rubbish bin tactic that many Aussies secretly employ but seldom discuss openly.
With her local council collecting general waste only once a fortnight, Brooke found herself in a bind.
Her family of five, including two young children in nappies, generates more waste than her bin can handle.
Brooke has brought attention to the tricky practice of secretly putting in neighbours' red bins. Credit: Instagram/brookeisblissed
Her solution? Waiting until the 'dead of night' before collection day to discreetly dispose of a couple of bags into her neighbours' bins.
‘Is this illegal or frowned upon?’ she asked her followers in a now-deleted video.
In the Port Macquarie Hastings Council LGA, where Brooke resides, general waste is collected every other week, alternating with the yellow recycling bin, while green waste is picked up weekly.
‘It’s actually super stressful, especially when you have young children…the bins fill up quite quickly,’ she remarked
‘I find that my bin is full maybe like the fourth day after it’s just been collected and there’s still another eight or so days to go.’
Brooke had 'the most lovely neighbours’, who never raised an issue with her late-night bin contributions.
‘I mean, if your neighbours aren’t letting you do that even if they have room in their bin, you then have the rubbish lying around your property because you have nowhere else to put it,’ Brooke added.
While there are no explicit laws against placing your rubbish in a neighbour's bin, the act could be considered trespassing if done without permission.
Rubbish bins are arranged on the street for collection day, highlighting concerns about the neighbourhood's problem with people putting garbage in others' bins. Credits: Unsplash
The online community chimed in with a range of perspectives. Some admitted to doing the same, arguing that once bins hit the kerb, they were fair game.
One wrote, 'As long as you're not putting rubbish in recycling or garden waste'.
Another claimed, ‘I do it in broad daylight.’
‘Both our neighbours know we do this to them,’ a third added.
Others noted they would only be upset if a neighbour added waste when their bin was already full.
‘If you ask I would be fine with it, unless I’m putting extras in the bin in the morning. My neighbour did this once, and my bin lid wouldn’t close, so I put it on her doorstep,’ a woman shared.
A spokesperson for Port Macquarie Hastings Council weighed in: ‘Some residents have neighbourly arrangements to use each other’s bins, which is up to residents to agree on. Unless there is an arrangement in place, the council discourages this activity.’
Councils often offer solutions for those who regularly struggle with their bin's capacity. In Brooke's area, residents can opt for a weekly service at a higher cost or contact the council to change their waste service type.
The spokesperson added that waste management facilities are available for excess rubbish, with some items accepted free of charge.
Members, do you have a neighbourly agreement in place, or do you believe in strict bin boundaries? Share your thoughts and experiences in the comments below!
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