A homeowner was shocked to find their new neighbor's garbage in their recycling bin, prompting them to take a little action to prove a point.
In the r/mildlyinfuriating subreddit, the homeowner explained the new neighbors dumped four bags of trash in the bin. "Recycling is free but it can't be covered in food stuff and mixed with other trash," they said.
"They didn't ask. Didn't say anything. … Just find it very rude," they added.
In the photo shared, the full trash bags are sitting on a porch, prompting one Redditor to ask if it was showing the OP returning the trash to the neighbor, which the OP confirmed it was.
"I would have done the same thing, unless they are old, then I would have just thrown it, but I'm guessing that's not the case with what's in the bags," the commenter said.
Another person revealed they actually canceled their free recycling bin service because too many people were "putting obvious garbage in it, dog poop, they weren't breaking down boxes, nor were they rinsing out any of the recyclables." They added their neighbors were angry but were reminded that bins are free and could be requested.
These neighbors' bad behavior is making others' efforts to pitch in on green solutions unnecessarily difficult. The Recycling Partnership reported that 73% of U.S. homes have access to recycling, but only 43% participate, with lack of access and information being the primary barriers.
Being able to recycle things like plastic bottles, even just 10 of them, can save the equivalent of the amount of energy to power a laptop for over 25 hours, according to the EPA. Recycling one ton of aluminum cans, another common household item, can conserve the equivalent of 1,024 gallons of gasoline.
The OP's solution of putting their neighbor's trash on the porch seems to have sent some kind of message. "It's gone now. Must have taken it somewhere," they said in an update. "Maybe we can both just forget it. I'll be nice when I see them next and smile and say hello."
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