Bin bandits and rubbish etiquette

WHILE the Lismore Waste Centre has been out of action, it seems sneaky bin-bandits are using their neighbours bins to dump extra rubbish.

BIN BANDITS: Some less-than-lovely residents are using the temporary closure of the Lismore tip to unload their rubbish under the cover of darkness into their neighbours bins. Picture: Peter Gardiner

IT'S the weekend and normally you'd be heading out to the tip, aka Lismore Recycling & Recovery Centre.

There, you'd drop off some rubbish, recycle bottles from your kid's sports club and then check out the vast array of fantastic recycled items at the Revolve shop.

But it's still closed.

Meanwhile, people with less scruples than you are out and about prowling under the cover of darkness, looking to dump their trash into your bins.

Late at night they scuttle along your street ahead of the next days' waste collection, with plastic bags reeking of their unmentionable rubbish which they slyly slide into your bin.

Some are so irresponsible they won't even check to ensure they are dumping their garbage in the correct plastic bin.

A quick drop and off they slink, because, well, it's just empty space they think.

Or maybe you have a heap of pizza boxes from your mates popping over to watch the footy or a pile of green waste and your council bins are chocka.

Meanwhile, your neighbour's bin is tantalisingly half-empty.

So what do you do - talk to your neighbour and ask permission, or become a bin-bandit yourself?

The other day I went to bring in my yellow bin after collection and found it containing stuff that I definitely had not put in.

Not being a fan of that Scottish fast food chain or disgusting sugary drinks I was surprised to see the evidence of a disgusting night out.

At least it was in the yellow and not the green bin, so I did not have to don Hazmat gear to remove it.

I'm lucky to have great neighbours because if one of us needs to get rid of something - for me its usually green when my four compost bins are full - someone will always have space for a barrow-load.

And I'm fine with someone approaching me to ask if they can shove some cardboard into my yellow bin.

To those of you who trawl the streets looking to sling your trash and run, please don't.

5 ways to stop bin-bandits:

1. Talk to your neighbours and come to an agreement if their bin has space you'll help each other out

2. Keep your bins out of sight until you put them out

3. Bring them in as soon as the contents have been collected

4. If you live in a block of flats, get a bin lock

5. Aim to recycle and reuse and reduce the need to use bins each week