Is your go-to rubbish bin tactic illegal? This mum's revelation sparks debate

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.


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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.


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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.

Key Takeaways
  • Brooke Bliss, a mum from NSW, sparked debate by asking if it's illegal or frowned upon to put waste in a neighbour's bin when hers is full.
  • While there are no laws specifically against the practice, issues such as trespassing could arise unless bins are on council land, and the practice is generally frowned upon without neighbours' consent.
  • Responses to Bliss's question varied, with some Australians admitting they also do it and others expressing that it's only acceptable if the bin isn't near full or with prior neighbour consent.
  • Port Macquarie Hastings Council discourages adding waste to others' bins without an agreement and offers both a fortnightly and a more expensive weekly waste collection service to cater to different needs. Residents also have the option to use council waste management facilities.

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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I think that there is another side to this. Some people used to put household rubbish into my son's industrial waste and recycling bins. Now he has to pay a premium to get these bins cleared at a time when his factory is operational. This makes it theft, to my mind.
 
you do realize that once on the kerb it is public & even the cops can scab evidence out your bin.

Be interesting to see what might happen if some Karen kick up a stink
Yup... past the border line it's the council problem.
I discovered this after an altercation with a council employee.... from that day forth I do not mow or upkeep the area defined as "council property".
Two can play that game!!!!
 
I wouldn’t have a problem if a neighbour wanted to use our bin. Only today a neighbour was doing a big job in tidying up their garden. My husband asked if they needed our green bin too. They were very grateful of the offer.
 
Our non-recyclable bins are emptied every week. Our recycle bins are emptied once a fortnight. The green waste bins are emptied on the alternate fortnight.
Some of us have an "automatic" agreement that we can put our surplus in each other's bins. Others we ask if we can.
When I moved I had surplus boxes etc which I cut / folded down after I checked if any of the neighbours wanted any. I had some surplus and asked a neighbour if I could put some in theirs rather than keeping it for a fortnight. I hadn't met many neighbours then.
 
Like others have said. Why are you worried about your neighbours, you should be worried about your contribution to the environment. Disposable nappies are a scourge
 
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Disposable nappies are a scourge
So are reusable shopping bags which are never reused and mineral/spring water bottles for the gullible. A super scourge in those two items alone!

Ever thought that so called safe environmental measures to save the world are actually detrimental to the environment. Take electric vehicles for example.
 
you do realize that once on the kerb it is public & even the cops can scab evidence out your bin.

Be interesting to see what might happen if some Karen kick up a stink
Oh yes, I did not read Agatha Christie for nothing - what goes in the bin - does not necessarily stay in the bin! Binners beware!!
 
Like most social media narcissists, this woman is so entitled it does not even cross her tiny mind that she is just dirty if she produces excess rubbish all the time. Someone should tell her that most baby foods are contaminated with micro plastics.
 

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