Sydneysiders argue on bin etiquette during a ‘bin war’ between neighbours

One Australian has found themselves in hot water over a bin act... but others see no problem with.

Debate swirled over when it was okay to place your rubbish in others’ bins. Picture: Rohan Kelly.

A homeowner has unwittingly sparked a war with a neighbour after putting their rubbish in her wheelie bin when their own was full from Christmas.

Writing “Did I break an unspoken bin rule?” on the site, they admitted they may have “accidentally started a bin war” with a woman who lives next door, who told them off for using her bin.

The user said that as their bins were overflowing from the holidays, they decided to place a folded cardboard box in one of their neighbour’s bins and a small bag of rubbish in an other.

Debate swirled over when it was okay to place your rubbish in others’ bins. Picture: NCA Newswire/Gaye Gerard

When one of the bins’ owners emerged to scold them, they defended their act and said the bin they had placed the rubbish in was “almost empty”.

“Is she overreacting or did I really do something wrong?” they asked.

“I think you have a permanent enemy now,” one comment wrote, with another joking that it would take years of baked goods as Christmas gifts to make up for the fact that they had placed recycling cardboard in the general waste bin.

Others said that it was generally acceptable, so long as you get away with it.

“[It’s] frowned upon, yes. Just wait for the cover of darkness like the rest of us,” one said.

One user did point out the dangers of allowing others to use your bins, describing how an unidentified neighbour kept putting the wrong rubbish into their bins, which gave them a fine.

“After that we didn’t put the bins out until the early morning,” they said.

Some residents have found changes to rubbish collection have meant their bins are more often than not overfull. Picture: Rohan Kelly

The original poster noticed the divide, saying that some of the comments were “unbothered” while others acted as if they were “kicking their new puppy.”

“Totally understand and I’ll make sure to commit bin crimes under the cover of darkness from now on,” they said.

The Canterbury-Bankstown council said that placing rubbish in a neighbour’s bin “is unfair and can cause problems in the recycling system”.

They instead suggest asking the neighbour, waiting until the next collection or taking the extra waste to a transfer station.

Another post on the ‘Ask an Australian’ subreddit asked the same question, and answers generally agreed more with the council.

“Ask the people you are planning on putting stuff in their bins,” one said.

Some users noted a weight limit to bins that trucks collect, while others suggested moving a bin to the other side of the road once it’s been collected for a second collection. Picture: Supplied

Others pointed out that there was a difference between placing rubbish in another’s bin, and offloading smelly trash such as pet waste.

“I have a neighbour who puts his fish scraps in my bin because he doesn't want to dirty his bin,” one said. “That annoys me.”

One comment said it was fair game once the bin was in the street, but to be sensible about it.

“Put the right rubbish in the right bin, close lids properly and don’t overload so they’re not passed over for collection,” they said. “Keep it nice!”