Has a neighbor started a trash fight by shifting your trash cans? This behavior is not only obnoxious and insulting, but it may also be illegal in certain situations, depending on the circumstances. Is it possible for your next-door neighbor to move your garbage can without your consent?
There is no need to worry about the ongoing battle since we have everything you need right here. Prepare and educate yourself on the steps you need to take if you want your neighbor to quit messing with your trash can.
What Can I Do If My Neighbor Moved My Trashcan?
Your neighbor should not move your garbage can if it is on your property. Starting a discussion about it should be your initial course of action. Others consider it a goodwill gesture to move their trash cans, reasoning that they assist you in your endeavors. On the other side, some people do it out of resentment.
In any case, the first move you can make is to let them know that you are bothered by this. You may either meet with them in person or phone them and tell them what’s happening.
Contact your homeowners’ association (HOA) to report a disturbance if this doesn’t work. Suppose you don’t belong to an HOA. In that case, you can contact your city’s municipal or garbage collection service to see if there are any laws or regulations in place about this problem and what you can do to avoid it from happening in your area.
Even if you can’t keep an eye on your garbage can all the time, keeping tabs on who is entering your property and what they are up to is still a good idea. Investing in a reliable security system like outdoor security cameras is wise. It’s easy to win a case against your neighbor if you catch them doing anything illegal.
Are Trash Cans Public Property?
Since the Corporation Waste Management owns the cans, they are public property in the United States of America. However, the garbage cans are the property of the owner of the property to which they are allocated.
When you move into a new home, Waste Management will provide you with a garbage can of your own to utilize. This garbage can is located on your property but does not necessarily belong to you personally. You will be unable to take the garbage can with you when you move since it is attached to your property and cannot be moved.
Your garbage can is technically considered public property since Waste Management owns it. You are solely accountable for your garbage can allotted to your property.
Your trash is regarded to be private property up to the point when it is placed inside your trash container. Consequently, the waste on the plot is seen as belonging to the public. However, depending on where you live, the city in which you reside may have passed bylaws prohibiting individuals from looking through other people’s waste.
Can Neighbors Put Their Trash in my Bin?
If you do not gather a large quantity of waste and neighbors use your garbage can, you probably will not consider this a severe problem. However, each municipality has its own set of regulations for the disposal of trash, and you must be aware of those that are in effect in the city in which you reside.
If you wonder whether or not it is against the law for your neighbor to dump their trash in your garbage can, the answer is a resounding yes. In most locations, it is against the law for your neighbor to do so. This becomes even more obvious when the trash can you keep on your property is inside, requiring your neighbor to enter your yard to get it.
That unlawful access to dump rubbish is already trespassing, a violation recognized under the law. If the dumpster in question is privately held, then using it without the owner’s permission is an unlawful act of dumping and is comparable to stealing the owner’s paid service.
How Do I Stop Someone From Using My Garbage Bin?
Stopping your neighbor from dumping their garbage in your trash can is easy if you follow these few simple steps.
1. Set up a security camera
Install a camera system outside your house with a wide enough field of vision to capture your garbage can. If you pay for trash disposal, the camera will let you determine which of your neighbors is responsible for filling up your bin and raising your fee.
Aside from being a piece of extraordinary evidence, it might also reveal the exact time and day this unknown neighbor does his deed.
2. Purchase lockable garbage cans
You should purchase bins with locks or any kind of lock system with an alarm that goes off when someone attempts to access them without first unlocking them. The trash can will warn your neighbor if they try to open the trash can forcibly.
3. Install a trashcan with an alarm clock
If you catch the guilty neighbor dumping trash into your bin, you might approach them and threaten to file an official complaint with police enforcement or the local waste officials.
What Happens If Someone Steals My Trashcan?
Theft of a garbage bin is really inconvenient, whether it’s due to the difficulty of the situation or the fact that something valuable has been stolen from your home. Here are things to do.
1. Notify the authorities
Thefts from general trash cans must be reported to the police by the owner. Although, the police can’t investigate every single theft, so don’t expect your trash can back, you should let them know about any thefts that occur in your neighborhood nonetheless.
2. Tell the town council
Depending on where you live, you may need to contact your local government or a waste management business to report your yard trash can missing. There is typically an online form to make your request if the municipality gave the container.
Some authorities will charge you if you need a new trashcan, while others won’t. Although delivery timeframes might vary widely based on current demand, be prepared to wait a long time for your replacement.
Should You Keep Garbage Cans in the Garage?
It’s possible to put your trash cans in your garage since it’s out of the climatic condition, free of pests that make a mess of your waste, and near enough to your home, so you don’t have to go far when it’s time to take it to the garbage.
For those who don’t have the luxury of a garage, a neighbor’s land might be a good alternative. Keep in mind that trash cans must not be seen from the street in most localities.
In other words, place your trash cans behind a fence or far enough back to be hidden. Garbage cans should be on the curb or immediately alongside your street in front of your home for pickup. Wheels should face your home, while the metal bar on the other side should face the road.
Additionally, your city may have specific rules on where trash cans should be located. Garbage cans may only be able to be placed on one side of a one-way street to facilitate collection.
Can My Neighbor Put Their Trash Cans in Front of My House?
Since the standards for garbage collection make it very obvious that trash cans should be placed in front of one’s residence and not those of one’s neighbors, your next-door neighbor has no right to position their trash cans in front of your home.
Your next-door neighbor is acting in this manner for no purpose other than to irritate you. If you feel this issue needs to be addressed, the best place to start is with your neighbor. If they refuse to listen, you should contact your homeowner’s association or the city to find the precise regulations addressing this matter.
If nothing else works, you may call the police on them and begin working on filing a lawsuit against them. There is a chance that you will be able to press charges of trespassing or vandalism against your neighbor. It is a distinct possibility that you may take your obnoxious neighbor to court over this matter.
Clever Ways To Hide Your Trashcan From Neighbors
Keeping your outside trash containers hidden in the garage is the best option. In addition to deterring creatures from rummaging through your garbage, this is a handy position for you.
You can place your trash cans on the side of your home if a fence separates them from the street or behind your house if you don’t have a garage. While it may seem like a long way to roll your trash cans, it is actually against the law in most places to leave them visible from the street.
You are responsible for disposing of your trash and no one else’s. You are the only one who can control it. You’re in charge of ensuring it’s placed appropriately for trash pickup and returning it to your house when it’s finished before the scheduled time.
Garbage cans must be removed from the roadway and returned to their usual location by a particular time specified by your municipality. This occurs at 7 p.m. most nights.
Conclusion
Moving your garbage can is an insensitive and selfish behavior on the part of your neighbor, not to mention bothersome. Always talk to them before calling the city or police. They may believe they’re helping you or don’t know how you feel. Maintaining cordial ties with your immediate neighbors will make your life much more straightforward.