‘Creepy’ bin act has Aussies fuming

Has this officially crossed the line?

Return and Earn schemes across Australia have only grown in popularity over the last few years, allowing people to not only do some good for the environment, but make some extra money at the same time.

As a result of this, some people fondly named ‘collectors’ have begun expanding their practice to other people’s cans and bottles, found on the street, in public bins, or even in the bins of neighbours, causing all kinds of disputes - and if you haven’t seen it happening yourself, you certainly know someone who has.

However it seems some avid collectors have officially taken it too far.

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Image: Reddit.

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“A random person is coming into my front yard!”

A Melbourne Reddit user has taken to the platform after catching a woman red-handed taking bottles and cans out of their bin. But the big issue? It’s still in their front yard, right next to their house.

“Is this normal?” the post began.

“A random person is coming into my front yard to collect bottles from the bin. I have no issue with them doing so, but I would prefer if they only did it when the bin is out for collection rather than entering the yard.”

In the accompanying photo, you can see an elderly woman holding a bag filled to the brim with empty bottles, rummaging through the poster’s yellow bin, which is just outside their window - and still within the confines of their fence.

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“A tad too cheeky to normalise”

For the most part, commenters on the post agreed with the poster, saying that whilst it’s become normal to take bottles and cans from a bin when it’s out on the curb, entering someone’s front yard is definitely crossing a line.

“Nah coming onto your property is a tad too cheeky to normalise. I think once the bin is on the curb awaiting the garbo, anyone who wants to pick for cans is welcome to (as long as they clean up and don't leave the rest of the recycling all over the nature strip). But stepping onto the property line, especially when you have a fence and the bin is behind said fence line, that's invasive,” said one commenter.

“I'd pop a note on the bin saying ‘Can collectors - Please wait until bin day’, then next time you've got a fair reason to yell ‘oi’ at them.”

“Nope, not directly on your property. No way. It's only acceptable once you've wheeled the bin onto the nature strip or street, then it's acceptable, just as long as they don't throw a heap of trash out of the bin to get to the good stuff,” another agreed.

“We had someone come deep into our property at 11pm last night rifling through our recycle bin making a heap of noise...they disappeared quickly once I opened the front door. WTF?! If the bin is on the nature strip, zero issues. If it's on my property, you're trespassing. Completely unacceptable for people to do that,” said a third.

“Not normal. If the bins were out on the nature strip it's fine, but walking onto your property to raid the bins is creepy,” another commenter agreed.

Others suggested the collector should be asking first if they’re going to do it.

“yeah should be on your naturestrip, or at least knock and ask,” one person said.

“I guess it’s ok if you ask first,” another agreed.

“It’s actually just sad”

However, whilst many agreed that the habit crossed a line, they were also wary of the situation many of these collectors might be in in order to consider trying something like this.

“Entering your yard is rude, but it’s actually just sad. She’s elderly and collecting bottles from strangers bins to make 10 cents a bottle,” one commenter said.

“If they need to do that to survive leave them alone,” said another.

“We are living during the largest wealth inequality and homelessness rates ever seen in this country. Yes, this is normal now,” a third suggested.

“The sheer fact this is happening shows how bad things have gotten for the elderly who no longer can live off their pensions,” another person said.

So, if you’re looking to help but aren’t a fan of the rummaging, the solution is clear.

“We have a homeless bloke who does this to help him get by. I now just save them for him in a bag so he doesn't have to dig. If you are getting rid of your containers, you might as well let someone who is in need collect and benefit from them. At least they are trying to do something,” one commenter said.

“I once saw an elderly man pick up a can from the side of the road. He was riding a bike. I said to him I would save our cans and hang them on the fence for him. He knocked on my door to tell me he got 12:50 and this was the first time he got over ten dollars. There really is not much effort to be kind,” said another.

“We used to have someone come up our driveway to get them but our dog would go nuts at the sound of them sorting it. I ended up keeping the eligible bottles and cans in a separate container next to the bin. Never had an issue then,” a third agreed.

“While this absolutely is not ok I think it'd be best to have a separate tub for bottles and cans so at least they aren't going through your bin,” another suggested.

Originally published as ‘Creepy’ bin act has Aussies fuming