Are you bad at the bins? Nearly half are annoyed by their neighbours’ rubbish habits

Nearly half of Britons get annoyed by their neighbours’ bad bin habits, a research by Churchill Insurance has revealed.

Overfilling bins and not clearing up rubbish from bin bags that have been ripped open by animals are the habits that particularly enrage people, Churchill said.

Britons also don’t appreciate bins being left outside on the street, with one in five people believing they should be taken in immediately after collection if someone is home.

More than a third think bins should not be outside for more than 12 hours.

Trash talk: Nearly half of Britons get annoyed by their neighbours bad bin habits, according to Churchill Insurance

Steven Halo, a resident in the West London town of Uxbridge, has faced several bin issues on his street.

‘There’s an ongoing situation where one of the houses puts their bin out on any given day,’ says Halo.

‘As a result, we often have rubbish piling up on the corner of our street, including nappies and cat litter, which, unfortunately, attracts foxes.’

Halo adds: ‘It’s become so frustrating that some of our other neighbours took matters into their own hands – they’ve made a sign and placed it on these neighbours’ bins to let them know about the issue and letting them know when the bin day is.

‘At one point the area was even cordoned off with red and white tape.’

Not only can bad bin behaviour damage neighbourly relationships, it could even make homes harder to sell. 

Bin wars: Uxbridge resident Steven Halo says  rubbish often piles up on the corner of his street, including nappies and cat litter

Untidy streets could be offputting to potential buyers, as out-of-control bin behaviour tarnishes first impressions and can have an impact on the reputation of the whole street. 

Henri Codling, an estate agent Pattison Lane Estate Agents, says: ‘Bin etiquette is super important, especially when it comes to maintaining a pleasant environment for everyone in the neighbourhood.

‘The environment and cleanliness of streets is vital when a buyer is coming to look at what could potentially be their new home, and it certainly makes a huge difference when the road is tidy.

‘If all neighbours work together to ensure their streets are clean and stick to simple bin etiquette, it creates a cleaner environment for everyone and boosts the reputation of a street.

‘This goes a long way when people are having a potential buyer look at their home.’

When it comes to resolving conflicts around bad bin behaviour, two in five people prefer to tackle it head on by speaking directly to their neighbour.

While they still favour the direct approach overall, younger people aged between 18 and 34 years old are more likely than older groups to opt for alternative indirect methods.

These include slipping a note under their neighbour’s door, writing a message on a communal notice board or posting in a group chat.

Neighbours from hell: Overflowing bins and not clearing up rubbish from bin bags that have been ripped open by wild animals were the habits that particularly enrage people

Sarah Khan, Churchill head of home insurance, said: ‘Stepping out of the house to be met by bins that have been left out is a major frustration for a staggering 30 million people across the UK.

‘And what’s worse is that bad bin behaviour could be impacting those trying to sell their homes. Despite this, many of us are guilty of bad bin etiquette.

‘As we head into winter it’s important bins are being brought in, not just for keeping the streets tidy, but also for safety reasons.

‘With pavements potentially more slippery due to the weather, and high winds at risk of blowing items over, bringing bins back in straight away after collection could save you having to fork out for costly repairs – and it’ll be sure to put you in your neighbours’ good books too.’