My bins keep getting stolen even though I've painted my house number on it. What should I do?
Posted by cuntworms@reddit | AskUK | View on Reddit | 156 comments
Hi, so I keep having to pay for my bins to be returned or new ones. I'm not sure what I can do at this point. I can't keep paying for new bins. I painted my house number on it, but it disappeared.
Upstairs-Quail5709@reddit
Add a tracker on the bin.
Phoenix-190@reddit
If it's getting expensive is it worth paying ~£30 for an airpod type tracker and epoxying it into the bottom? You could then be able to report the theft. At the very least you could go steal it back.
DigitalStefan@reddit
Affix an obvious AirPod / tracker. Cheap, non-working ones can be bought.
Out the actual tracker somewhere harder to find.
takesthebiscuit@reddit
The actual tracker is really easy to find 🤔
Trick-Station8742@reddit
We're talking about people who steal bins
Dependent_One6034@reddit
I know a bloke who spends 5 hours a day going round to the industrial yards and picks up pallets. He sells them for 1.50-2.25 each. Sometimes a bit more.
He earns around £300 a day, less fuel.
What i'm saying is, Just because it seems like a dumb thing to steal/take free of charge - doesn't mean it isn't lucrative.
BeatificBanana@reddit
Where the hell does he manage to sell 200 pallets a day?
bentleybasher@reddit
There are actually companies whose sole business model is purchasing pallets. I know has I’ve delivered them to them. 100s at a time.
BeatificBanana@reddit
That's fascinating. There really is a business for everything
DagenhamDav@reddit
There are 7 billion people in the world. They buy a lot of stuff. Everything they buy gets shipped on a pallet.
That's a lot of pallets.
bentleybasher@reddit
I live in a huge railway and logistics based town so there are several, pretty much everything you buy has touched a pallet/shipping container at some point either it its delivery or manufacture.
Grouchy-Nobody3398@reddit
As a small warehouse we order 60 at a time.
The one that made us laugh was the one that cleared our yard at the weekend without permission, in front of the CCTV, and then pitched up on the Monday trying to sell us more...luckily the ones they took were from the USA and no use to us for UK/EU distribution.
Amazing-Visual-2919@reddit
Factory I used to work at sent out thousands of pallets of product a week.
Managers noticed that a few of the lorry drivers were advertising their Florida holiday homes for rent on the noticeboards.
Seems unusual that the lorry drivers have holiday homes over in the States.
Investigation was launched and they realised we weren't tracking our pallets.
The greedy sods were selling whole lorry loads of empty pallets down the road for I think £5 a pallet. And this is 30 years back.
We got rid of our transport fleet after that and counted pallets each week.
Phoenix-190@reddit
Ikr. 300 days a year too
Dependent_One6034@reddit
I don't know why this is so shocking. Honestly. Sole tradesmen often don't take days off, often work weekends. I said 300 days, He likely works more than that to be honest.
You could work 8 hours a day, monday-friday and your work hours would be more than working 5 hours a day including some weekends.
260 days at 8 hours is 2080 hours. 300 days at 5 hours is 1500 hours.
Even if you have to work a bit longer or later you're still doing well... Remove the allocated holiday days for PAYE and you're still doing well....
Phoenix-190@reddit
I wasn't commenting on the amount of days a person works, only that this person is apparently consistently selling 200 pallets a day 300 days a year.
Dependent_One6034@reddit
Crazy right?
Our shop is small, we usually get 20 or so pallets a day. Our much larger rivals who have many stores will do this 20 x 180. My industrial estate at a guess uses 5000+ a day. One industrial site...
One firm on our estate managed to get government backing to burn their pallets as it was deemed cheaper and more environmentally friendly than having 7 full artics pick up full loads of empty pallets.
Seriously. I'm not fucking with you. Pallets are worth money. And it's good money as long as you can do it in bulk.
Dependent_One6034@reddit
To the yards that supply pallets to people/companies that need pallets. It's reusable packaging. Anyone who ships stuff on pallets, goes to a company that sells pallets, These companies often make their own pallets too on site, but they also sell and buy used pallets.
Every single shop or building with a forklift uses pallets, Whether to ship or receive. Most on the receiving end see them as wastage, unless they are euros then there is normally a deal in place to get them back.
That being said, Smaller firms won't be in these sort of deals, so pallets are seen as waste.
Simply google "where to sell used pallets" and you will find loads of places local to yourself. Some will even offer a collection at a lower rate.
DoorFinch@reddit
So the bloke you know picks up over 100 pallets a day, just lying around? 30 thousand a year?
Dependent_One6034@reddit
Industrial yards, trading estates, builders merchants.
Otherwise-Plane8282@reddit
£2.25 for pallets, we had a bloke come at place I worked at years ago and he used to buy them for £5 each
KingForceHundred@reddit
And this makes him clever?
Far_Kaleidoscope_102@reddit
I reckon you don’t know a bloke
Dependent_One6034@reddit
There's more than 1 of them around, You've never seen a flat bed stacked with pallets?
I didn't even touch on Europallets - they go for more.
Feel free to not believe me. Doesn't phase me.
BeatificBanana@reddit
Faze
Dependent_One6034@reddit
I'll be honest - I genuinely typed that originally but then it didn't look right to me, so assumed it was a slang spelling.
DigitalStefan@reddit
For a smart person probably. For someone with an intelligence level of “hurr durr I stole a bin”… maybe.
IdioticMutterings@reddit
Did this when a neighbour kept stealing mine. Police were not interested. Nor was their landlord or the local council.
She still has 6 of my bins in her back garden.
She would fill them with items that don't go in that particular bin (example: nappies in the garden waste bin), and when they refuse to empty it, she just stole someone elses bin. Mine usually, Fill that up, rinse, repeat.
SilverstarVegan@reddit
Omg thats bad have u reported her to the council for causing a health hazard.
PennyBunPudding@reddit
Go to the house that stole it dog shit through the letter box after using it to write I know what you did on their windows.
Satisfyingly criminal.
HawkTenRose@reddit
Don’t do this. Police will take it as malicious communications and possibly harassment if it continues.
PennyBunPudding@reddit
I mean obviously don't do it. Certainly don't take advice from a redditor.
HawkTenRose@reddit
… I am not very good at reading tone through text.
AllThatIHaveDone@reddit
Report the theft to who? The police won't care about this, tracker or no tracker.
Phoenix-190@reddit
I know, the police aren't going to care much. But it could be anyone, OP said no one else's bins are disappearing so maybe a neighbor is being an arse. It would just give them some idea of wtf is going on.
cuntworms@reddit (OP)
I might do this to be honest. It's weird because it's on a back street where everyone has their bins out. I keep being targeted for some reason. I have no idea why. I work from home and I keep to myself. I live alone.
Frothingdogscock@reddit
The last android tags I bought were around £3 each.
Miserable-Ad7835@reddit
We have a canvas bag to seperate paper in to, every time I put my recycling out someone takes it, so now I just don't bother recycling paper.
GillyGoose1@reddit
Yeah I'm in an apartment and have both a purple bag and a blue bag for recycling, each one has been knicked several times over the years. Thankfully my council replace the bags free of charge but it's still extremely annoying and does put you right off even trying when it comes to recycling 🙄
BeatificBanana@reddit
Nicked doesn't have a K in front of it
Miserable-Ad7835@reddit
Yet you still knew what they meant, amazing.
BeatificBanana@reddit
I never said I didn't?
Miserable-Ad7835@reddit
Didn't add anything to the conversation.
BeatificBanana@reddit
I wasn't trying to add anything to a conversation, I was trying to tell someone how a word was spelled. What are you adding to the conversation if you're so worried about that?
Miserable-Ad7835@reddit
Was three a need though?
BeatificBanana@reddit
Was there a need for yours?
GillyGoose1@reddit
You're right, think I must have accidentally hit K when going for N 😂
Miserable-Ad7835@reddit
Mine replaces them for free, but it takes a week to arrive and after the first few times you loose interest...
pelosiisanalcoholic@reddit
rub shit on the handles
SilverstarVegan@reddit
Get some big chains and chain to the wall
cat5crochet5femme@reddit
It’s only going missing when they put it out for collection
SilverstarVegan@reddit
Oh no, thats not good, put something bright stickers u cant remove easily all over the bin, write address in permanent marker in black marker in loads of places, get a camera on front of house if u cant be there when bin men come.
jovial_rebel@reddit
House number and street name OP.
My uncle has now chained his bins to an external metal pipe.
the_uk_hotman@reddit
Get a wheelie bin locking post it fits to your house wall and the bin clamps to the wall. There about £10 from b&q
txteva@reddit
Add more numbers stickers - one on each side and top.
See who puts it out on bin day.
Post them a note - explain the numbers refer to your house number and that it costs you to keep replacing and provide the link to the council replacement page and that it if they need assistance using it that you'd be happy to help them.
Assume they genuinely don't understand the inconvenience- either they don't and are glad for the help or they do and it makes them feel guilty! I did find this fixed my issue.
Mysterious_Soft7916@reddit
Number on the lid and street on the side. You'll be more able tomsee it when you look over fences etc. also, keep an eye out when the bins go out
cuntworms@reddit (OP)
Yeah, I had the number on the lid and on the side..
yolo_snail@reddit
How often are they stolen.
I had a year where my bins were stolen twice, my council will replace for free if it's been less than 12 months since they last replaced it.
Finger-Painter@reddit
So you're better off having bins stolen every month rather than every year?
Jumpy-Jello-@reddit
Not anymore they don't.
CrazyPlatypusLady@reddit
Mine do. As long as it's only 1 claim per bin type in 12 month period.
detinUi@reddit
My council doesn't and ive had 2 stolen so far in the last 6 months.
Jacktheforkie@reddit
Chain them down, do you have the same bin crew? Give them the key too
_helloalien@reddit
Dirty them up so they aren’t steal them worthy
majomista@reddit
Write your whole address on the bin on each of the four sides and the top
cat5crochet5femme@reddit
Overkill
majomista@reddit
Well yeah but if your bin keeps getting nicked then what option do you have?
Suspicious_Flower_0@reddit
Can you get a bike lock to chain it to something?
Smudger105e@reddit
Probably not, if the bin is being stolen on bin collection day.
Suspicious_Flower_0@reddit
Very good point, but for the other 6 days it's a solution.
Otherwise they'll just have to wait for the binmen and go out immediately to claim their bin.
.... and lock it to something with a bike lock
cat5crochet5femme@reddit
Don’t think op has a problem with it been stolen from the garden just when it is put out for collection
-Rhymenocerous-@reddit
Go down to your local dogshit bin and just empty the contents into.your bin and fill it to the brim with water the day before collection.
Cunt wont steal it ever again. That'll be message sent loud and clear
cat5crochet5femme@reddit
Yes but then you have to deal with a bin full of dog shit and water and I’m sure the op actually wants to use it for rubbish
bentleybasher@reddit
We had one of ours stolen too. Desperate times. 😂
WSMWN4@reddit
I used a Dremel to carve my postcode and house number on the lid.
Holli303@reddit
Get some CCTV. Point it at the bin. Find out what's happening. A dashcam would probably do the trick.
mattymattymatty96@reddit
Stream it.
Bin-watch
lonehorizons@reddit
Hello and welcome to bin watching with Bill Oddie.
Sad-Wrap6555@reddit
hire a small person to sit inside it after its been emptied and then burst out of the lid if it moves before they hear a secret knock on the side
A couple of rounds of expletive laden abuse ought to scare the thieving toerags off in future
RobbyBobbyBell@reddit
hahaha
Thunderoussshart@reddit
I had the same issue and ended up paying for a custom made sticker with my address (i.e. house number AND street name) for the lid. I also got another sticker with a big smiley face which I put on the front of the bin to make it stand out more (figured it would make it easier to find if it goes missing). It's not been stolen since. The stickers were only a few quid, think I got them from eBay.
SaveOurPandas@reddit
I scrolled to find and upvote this!
anemoschaos@reddit
We did similar as our bin collection area is for two streets and the bin men kept returning our bin to the wrong street. Putting street name on it solved the problem.
ChrisBatty@reddit
New bin, bright colours painted on it, obvious tracker on it.
RNEngHyp@reddit
New bin and air tag it? Bit extreme bit at least you can see who's taking it.
PennyBunPudding@reddit
If it's constantly going it's a bit odd though
Holli303@reddit
Best call, I reckon.
Terrible-Group-9602@reddit
Move house
ukbot-nicolabot@reddit
A top level comment (one that is not a reply) should be a good faith and genuine attempt to answer the question
jizzyjugsjohnson@reddit
Hide in the bin dressed as a clown. Then when they nick it jump out and do a terrifying Jack in the Box style surprise
ukbot-nicolabot@reddit
A top level comment (one that is not a reply) should be a good faith and genuine attempt to answer the question
wongl888@reddit
Move to a better neighbourhood?
ukbot-nicolabot@reddit
A top level comment (one that is not a reply) should be a good faith and genuine attempt to answer the question
Crafty-Strength1626@reddit
Paint pride flag on it
ukbot-nicolabot@reddit
A top level comment (one that is not a reply) should be a good faith and genuine attempt to answer the question
DB-DanCooper@reddit
I like bins ok.
ukbot-nicolabot@reddit
A top level comment (one that is not a reply) should be a good faith and genuine attempt to answer the question
deleted_by_reddit@reddit
[removed]
ukbot-nicolabot@reddit
A top level comment (one that is not a reply) should be a good faith and genuine attempt to answer the question
adamneigeroc@reddit
Bungee cord it to your house
ukbot-nicolabot@reddit
A top level comment (one that is not a reply) should be a good faith and genuine attempt to answer the question
deleted_by_reddit@reddit
[removed]
AskUK-ModTeam@reddit
A top level comment (one that is not a reply) should be a good faith and genuine attempt to answer the question.
mainukfeed@reddit
Paint two house numbers on it.
AskUK-ModTeam@reddit
A top level comment (one that is not a reply) should be a good faith and genuine attempt to answer the question.
Ill_Refrigerator_593@reddit
Hide in it - when it's moved jump out yelling at them & throwing rubbish.
ukbot-nicolabot@reddit
A top level comment (one that is not a reply) should be a good faith and genuine attempt to answer the question
Y-Bob@reddit
Firstly strip stark bollock naked.
Secondly, wheel your bin onto the pavement. You can wear socks for this part obviously.
Third, climb inside. Leave socks neatly by the bin to avoid distress tomorrow when it's time to go inside. And wait.
Fourth, as soon as you feel your bin move, spring out as high as you can, and shout "GIRCHERYECUNT!"
You may wish to hope you don't find yourself descending into the hungry, undefeatable jaws of the bin lorry. But don't worry, if for any reason this happens they will likely manage to stop it while your bottom half is still sticking out and the neighbours will talk about you forever.
ukbot-nicolabot@reddit
A top level comment (one that is not a reply) should be a good faith and genuine attempt to answer the question
wagwanterry@reddit
put a "I'm voting reform" sticker on it, no one will touch it or look at it then
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Immediate-Chapter731@reddit
OP may well end up IN it
TheShakyHandsMan@reddit
Depends on the area. Might end up being nicked faster if it’s reform voting
YodasGoldfish@reddit
Paint somebody else's number on it ?
ukbot-nicolabot@reddit
A top level comment (one that is not a reply) should be a good faith and genuine attempt to answer the question
mattymattymatty96@reddit
Wont they just then claim it as their own.
The bins are probably also going missing from theirs aswell.
catmadwoman@reddit
The tealeafs don't care what number is on it. I'd try painting my number all over the bin as many times so as to fill all the spaces. The dust men will know who's pinched them (or not if they're not worth nicking).
Indie_Barrel_1402@reddit
AskUK-ModTeam@reddit
A top level comment (one that is not a reply) should be a good faith and genuine attempt to answer the question.
Indie_Barrel_1402@reddit
maybe if you say please?
GuybrushFunkwood@reddit
Attach a small but robust claymore mine to the bottom
ukbot-nicolabot@reddit
A top level comment (one that is not a reply) should be a good faith and genuine attempt to answer the question
takesthebiscuit@reddit
Affix an obvious claymore. Cheap, non-working ones can be bought.
Put the actual claymore somewhere harder to find.
Trick-Station8742@reddit
The actual claymore is really easy to find 🤔
EngineersAnon@reddit
Not before detonation, if it's properly emplaced.
Bowtie327@reddit
For a smart person probably. For someone with the intelligence level of “hurr durr I stole a bin”… maybe.
diminutive-valkyrie@reddit
Scrolled too far for this. OP, this is the one
Goffers12@reddit
The stand up comedians in this thread missed the “Serious Replies Only” tag apparently
AskUK-ModTeam@reddit
Report them and we will deal with them
AutomaticInitiative@reddit
Happens basically every time wish the mods would do something
West_Guarantee284@reddit
We are trialing food waste bins. All our bins live at the front of our house in the small gravel area, everyone by us does this cus we're in terrace houses so getting to the back is a long way. 3 weeks into the trial the food waste bin was stolen, from outside the front door, not even when it was left on the street. We don't recycle food waste anymore. Like why do people nick them, we all got given one?
Frothingdogscock@reddit
The last android airtags i bought were around £3 each.
boldstrategy@reddit
I would put an AirTag on it out of bitterness and confront them at this point
Rubberfootman@reddit
Have a look outside houses with the same number as yours on nearby streets. Ours “mysteriously” got moved to number 15 one street away.
GillyGoose1@reddit
This could genuinely be the act of the binmen rather than the person at the matching number maliciously stealing your bins though, I once ended up with a bin that categorically wasn't mine as it was covered in stickers (mine isn't), it was abandoned outside my property on bin day and I ended up having to walk it down to the next street where I did find my own bin outside the matching numbered address and simply swapped them back 😂
Dimac99@reddit
I can't imagine the binmen going back and forth to do this. Much more likely the sticker people wanted a 'clean' bin and swapped them.
GillyGoose1@reddit
Depends on how close to the next street you are, the layout in my area is weird, the road that I'm addressed as living on is actually a further distance on foot from the very next road. I now actually know the woman who lives at the matching house number on the next road as she sometimes receives post intended for me, as do I for her. Neither of us know how to stop it and agree that it's because of the strange housing layout relative to the location of the actual roads 😂
Dimac99@reddit
Paint not just your number but also street name. Attach an airtag or equivalent to deter thieving. If your council allows it, consider fitting a gravity lock. A bin that can't be easily opened isn't much use to a thief.
TulipTatsyrup@reddit
Where the actual fuck do you live that repeated bin theft is an issue?
Maybe write my owner has a micro penis on your bins?
That's the best advice I have, sorry
Scrumpyguzzler@reddit
Are they wheelie bins with the straight, bar type handle? You could put a chain through there and lock them to something
WinkyNurdo@reddit
A fox used to shit on my bin. No one ever pinched that bin.
kipperbang@reddit
I've drilled a couple of small holes in the lip of our bins. If it vanishes I'll do a tour of the neighbourhood the following week to find it.
Dans77b@reddit
My bin is absolutely disgusting looking. Its cracked, and I use it as a table to spray paint stuff and as a saw horse.
Nobody wants to go near it - even the bin men didnt touch it when I put it out last week.
Jumpy-Jello-@reddit
Walk around and see if anyone has any spare bins, or if there is an alley full of them just take one, it's likely yours got returned to a different spot.
MissAiste@reddit
Get cctv camera, 50 pounds from amazon and point it at the bins. I bet it's the binman that misplace them accidentally.
Charlie_Yu@reddit
I had numbers on it, but this week the binman deliberately leave a different numbered one in front of my house. At least we can find it because the alley is small
WackyWhippet@reddit
For us it was a "helpful" neighbour returning whichever bin was nearer his friends' houses. Big yellow numbers on every side of the bins seems to have helped.
PleasantCucumber2615@reddit
Surely the bins can't be going that far?
Does anyone have video doorbells or cameras?
Years ago I moved into a brand new flat. The majority of the flats were for let. People letting weren't willing to pay the fee for bins. It just ended up with them all using or stealing the bins that people had paid for. It was highly annoying.
wardyms@reddit
Sometimes the bin lorry’s do genuinely swallow them, but not that often. I’d put an AirTag on it.
BG3restart@reddit
Walk round on bin day and locate your bin then take it back.
ThatGuyFromBangor@reddit
I lived down the road from an absolutely wretched family; stole dogs, bikes, and eventually bins. I smeared dog shit on the handle.
Boboshady@reddit
Do you walk around to look for them? I've had my bins put back in the wrong alley by helpful people before, even with a number on it.
Maybe add your street name, too?
Failing that, it's time to get a tracker of some kind - AirTag or similar - and secure it to the bottom, so you can go find it.
Lanky_Bus_1221@reddit
Get an air tag or android equivalent and see where they are going
foofly@reddit
put an airtag on the bottom of it.
professoryaffle72@reddit
Top tip: Paint a swastika on it.....see if they steal it then.
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