Homeowner catches new neighbors on CCTV using his garbage can as their own after they deny any wrongdoing: 'She thought the bins were shared. Shared??? It's a bin on the side of my house!'

Author image for Ben Weiss
Ben Weiss • Writer and Editor
May 4, 2026 2:30 PM EDT

It's remarkable how some neighbors will tie themselves into knots to lie to the people next door instead of just asking for help.

This couple had recently moved into a quiet suburban neighborhood, and the aftermath of their move was still taking some time. Boxes upon boxes still needed to be unpacked, and, as a result, there was still a ton of trash to dispose of with each new step they took toward getting settled. Anyone who has gone through the process of becoming a homeowner probably has been here before, and we're certain that other folks in the neighborhood could empathize with their delayed move-in process.

However, the problem arose when one neighbor, who shared their side of the story with members of this online community, noticed that his private trash cans were being filled to the brim with this couple's garbage. Not only did they deny this at first, but they also had the audacity to claim that the garbage bins were shared among residents of the neighborhood, even though they were fully located on the neighbor's private property. Keep scrolling below to find out how the confrontation between these two parties went down. 

Advertisement
  • A woman looks at her dog while taking out the trash.
    via Unsplash+ (Toa Heftiba)

    A woman looks at her dog while taking out the trash.

    Image is representative only and does not depict the actual subjects of the story.

  • Came home to my garbage bin full of someone else's garbage for weeks

    The first time this happened I went to put my garbage in and realized it was already full, and I hadn't put any garbage in at all that week. So I went to both my neighbours and just asked if they had used my garbage. Both of them said no and I believed them as my neighbours are very nice and have never done anything weird before.
    via DrinkPresent7311
  • Next week, same thing. I decided to get a camera that has a view of my garbage bin because I was starting to get really pl d off that someone was doing this. I'd been keeping my garbage at my house and it was piling up, and I had no where to put it.
    via DrinkPresent7311
  • A woman takes out the trash as her dog follows her.
    via Unsplash+ (Toa Heftiba)

    A woman takes out the trash as her dog follows her.

    Image is representative only and does not depict the actual subjects of the story.

  • On the next week I saw on the camera a new lady that had moved in a few weeks ago bringing her garbage bags over and just dropping them in when I wasn't home. She moved to the house across the street from me
    via DrinkPresent7311
  • with her husband, and mind you its pretty far from my house so I didn't even suspect she would be the one doing this. I really should've considered it since it basically started happening after they moved in.
    via DrinkPresent7311
  • A black garbage can by the side of a house overflowing with trash.
    via theblowup

    A black garbage can by the side of a house overflowing with trash.

    Image is representative only and does not depict the actual subjects of the story.

  • Look, it's one thing to make a mistake and assume you won't get caught, but it's quite another to get caught in the act and then play dumb. That's what this couple tried to get away with… until they were fully seen on the homeowner's CCTV footage.

    It sounds like the homeowner has a strong relationship with other residents in this neighborhood, so in his mind, there was likely no universe in which he was expecting to point a security camera at his garbage can to spy on potential neighbors. Still, desperate times call for desperate measures, and at a certain point, this guy needed to know who was constantly trespassing and leaving their trash all over the place. 

    As for the couple, these two simply could have reached out and politely asked if they could use his garbage cans to dispose of extra trash while they were unpacking. That could have avoided a ton of tension and passive-aggression from both parties in this scenario. It just goes to show that asking for neighborly support is always the way to go over being duplicitous with the people you have to live among for the foreseeable future.

  • That day I grabbed the garbage out of my bin and brought it back to her house. I asked her why she was using my garbage bin when she has her own. She basically told me they have so much extra garbage from just moving in and
    via DrinkPresent7311
  • thought for a couple weeks she could use my bin, and also said she thought the bins were shared. Shared??? It's a bin on the side of my house, and its pretty clear everyone has one and you don't share those kinds of things.
    via DrinkPresent7311
  • I told her it was my bin and she wasn't allowed to use it anymore. She genuinely apologized and it made me wonder if she really didn't know, but I feel like its such basic common sense and she should have. I kept thinking this is a terrible start with the new neighbours, and now I am a bit
    via DrinkPresent7311
  • worried about them causing problems in the future but oh well. Talking to her seemed to make her back off, and this week I was finally able to get rid of my garbage.
    via DrinkPresent7311
  • A woman takes out the trash by the side of a house.
    via Unsplash+ (Toa Heftiba)

    A woman takes out the trash by the side of a house.

    Image is representative only and does not depict the actual subjects of the story.

  • Present-Assignme... She knew the bins were not shared. All she had to do was introduce herself to you or any of the neighbors and ask. People make things harder than they need to be.
    via DrinkPresent7311
  • Bennington_Booyah ⚫ She knew, hence walking all the way to your unattended bin. You handled it well
    via DrinkPresent7311
  • Ok... Well, clueless or not at least the boundary has been made more clear and she knows she's on camera.
    via DrinkPresent7311
  • I had neighbors make a pile of yard debris and leave it on the property line because they "didn't know" where it went. I helpfully informed them it goes in THEIR trash bin and there's been no issues since.
    via DrinkPresent7311
  • They are very nice people btw. Just had a momentary lapse.
    via DrinkPresent7311
  • AndSoSheTripped One of my biggest pet peeves is the entitlement others have. Neighbors did that to mine the night before garbage day. Only none of it was in bags, just a bunch of loose cap completely filling
    via DrinkPresent7311
  • my bin to the point it wasn't even closing. I went ape crop and flung their garbage all over their side. I suppose they got the hint because they never used it again.
    via DrinkPresent7311

Want More? Follow Us and Add Us as a Preferred Source on Google.

Tags

neighbors homeowner garbage neighborhood-drama petty entitled people karma entitled people
Scroll Down For The Next Article