Outcry over ‘ridiculous’ message written on public bin at popular NSW dog beach

“I guess they would prefer it be left on the ground,” one person said. “You can't win with some people.”

Residents of Newcastle are kicking up a stink after seemingly told them to stop putting their dog’s poo while on a walk. 

Spotted by a resident of Newcastle in NSW, the local was shocked to find a crudely written message on a council bin in the carpark next to Horseshoe Beach. 

It’s the only beach in Newcastle that allows dogs to run around off-lead, making it a widely popular spot for pet lovers to spend the day. 

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Horseshoe Beach is Newcastle's only off-lead dog-friendly beach. Picture: Visit Newcastle

“It's a dog s**t bin by purpose”

The message was sprawled across the red lid of the City of Newcastle public bin, which “is situated at the entrance of the council-zoned dog beach” and completely unmissable to passers-by. 

Written with black pen in large block letters, read the strict rule for all future bin users: “No dog s**t”. 

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Posted on Reddit, the OP figured a disgruntled person camping at the carpark wrote the message to deter others from placing dog dropping in the bin. 

“I’m guessing that the guests are taking offence at the smell coming from the bins,” they said. 

That being said, considering Horseshoe Beach is dog-friendly, what are pet owners supposed to do when they go for a walk along the beach? 

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The post garnered a lot of backlash online, with many other Newscastle locals expressing their concerns with the public bin’s supposed rules, labelling it “ridiculous”. 

One comment read: “Yeah nah. I’ll use the council-owned bin to put my bagged dog poop into it I want.” 

“Out of curiosity, where are the doggy bags supposed to go?” asked another. “The bin is there for people to put dog s**t in,” a person responded. “It's a dog s**t bin by purpose.”

“I guess they would prefer it be left on the ground. You can't win with some people,” a fourth wrote. “As if that is going to stop anyone,” another penned. 

“Don’t they know that dogs can't read?”

However, some people pointed out the disgusting reality of having another person place dog poo in the red lid bin. “If it's not handled carefully, you have split open plastic bags and poop stuck to the side of your bin,” a person wrote.

RELATED: Dog owners called out for 'disgusting' dog habit in public areas

The Newcastle resident wasn't pleased with the message on the bin. Picture: Reddit

City of Newcastle responds to bin’s s**ty message

A spokesperson for the City of Newcastle cleared the air regarding the disgruntled note and confirmed it was not an authorised message from the council. 

“I can confirm the wording on the red bin was not written by City of Newcastle staff,” they told Kidspot.

Per the City of Newcastle website, residents can use the red lid bin for “general waste”, including food and kitchen scraps, soft plastics, clothing, shoes and, yes, animal droppings or kitty litter. 

The spokesperson also confirmed the council would be working to remove the “wording” from the bin, allowing locals to use it as intended.

Please keep putting your dog’s poo in the public bins, thanks. 

Originally published as Outcry over ‘ridiculous’ message written on public bin at popular NSW dog beach