neighbour throwing out foodwaste

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runningrecord

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I wonder what is the councils responsibility regarding this or does it have any? My neighbours seem to think it's normal to dispose of food waste out the back door to be eaten I guess by whatever comes by. This is causing me problems due to the numbers of birds coming to feed - almost like what you'd see at a dump!! and the regularity of it happening - breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks :(I've lost the use of my back yard as far as I'm concerned and am next to having a bird phobia.:mad:
Can the council do anything?
Has anyone else experienced this and what did you do?
 
Won't be long until the rats appear which might change their mindset. Otherwise I don't see what you can do apart from photographing the dumping over a period of time. Shocking what some people think they're entitled to and even if not entitled they do some awful stuff anyway. Are you living in a city?
 
Photographing your neighbour's private property from your private property is one of those things one is not entitled to do. Tell the LA.
 
I have an in law that does this to the extent he has no use for a brown bin, everything goes out to his bird table, we will see a lot more of this as the waste companies roll out pay by weight, are you in a pay by weight area for refuse collection.
 
Could you start by having a chat with him?

It's quite normal to build a feeding table and it would probably be far more fun to watch.

If he is doing it to get rid of his food waste, then suggest a compost bin.

Or put out the food waste only once a day. And at least the problem would be time limited.

Is there a neighbour on the other side? Can you rally her to the cause?



Brendan
 
A neighbour of ours is doing this also. The magpies swarm around their house and take the food. They then "hide" it in our gutters, our neighbours gutters and elsewhere. As a result there is now food waste spread far and wide.
 
im in a bin area but as far as I can see they don't have one. I THINK IT'S DISGUSTING. I live in a housing estate and when I say it's ruined my back yard for me I really mean it These aren't nice people and I suppose I had hoped or I wish there was a law against it - it's totally unfair that I dispose properly of my waste, keep the place clean and yet am putting up with this.
If I can't take pictures ( which I had intended to do) how do I prove it's happening?
 
In the UK there are ASBOs given out for this kind of thing.

It's one thing doing this if you have acres of land around you but in an urban area it's a nuisance, and health hazard given the concentrations.
 
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I think your neighbour may be acting in contravention of the Household Food Waste and Bio-Waste Regulations 2013. Part III of the Regulations states:

SEGREGATION OF HOUSEHOLD FOOD WASTE

Producers’ duty to source segregate food waste arising as household waste

6. (1) Subject to paragraph (2) and without prejudice to the power of any local authority to provide for additional policy objectives under a relevant waste management plan or to apply more onerous conditions under a waste collection permit or under a waste presentation bye-law, an original producer of food waste arising as part of household waste shall ensure, as a minimum, that—

(a) food waste arising on the producer’s premises is source segregated and kept separate from non-biodegradable materials, other waste and contaminants; and

(c) source segregated food waste arising on the producer’s premises is collected by an authorised waste collector.

(2) Paragraph (1) shall not apply where an original food waste producer—

(a) subjects the food waste to a home composting process on the premises where the food waste is produced; or

(b) brings the food waste to an authorised facility with a view to its composting or anaerobic digestion or treatment in a way which fulfils a high level of environmental protection.

(3) Where an original food waste producer undertakes a home composting process he or she shall minimise the creation of odours and nuisance, and shall take all reasonable steps to achieve this objective.

Prohibition on certain practices

7. An original producer of food waste arising as part of household waste, shall not—

(a) deposit food waste in the residual waste collection, or

(b) use purpose built mechanical devices to shred or hydrate or otherwise alter the structure of food waste for the purposes of facilitating its discharge in waste water to a service connection, drain or sewer.

In other words, the person producing food waste must either have it collected, bring it to a recycling centre or compost it
themselves.

Local authorities have powers to act against any breeches of these regulations.
 
runningrecord said:
If I can't take pictures ( which I had intended to do) how do I prove it's happening?
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You make a formal complaint to the LA stating your concerns or suspicions. It is their job to gather evidence to mount a prosecution or insist on corrective action.
 
Thanks for all the replies - it is certainly horrible to have neighbours who are like this. No sitting out the back for me - even now when it isn't happening I'm in fear of having to run at any minute. I guess the LA is the way to go although I don't know how much faith I'd have in them dealing with anything - a written letter I suppose would make them legally obliged to do something????
I'm also wondering is there any law regarding ruining your private space - as in my back yard - in that I no longer am able to use it freely?
 
the local authorities rarely lift a finger when it comes to complaints about nuisance dogs , dog wardens are the laziest people on the planet ( at least in this country ) for everything bar licences

i would not be at all confident they would do anything about this issue either

sorry OP
 
I know a dog warden and they go above and beyond the call of duty a lot of the time, have taken home more strays to fatten up and tidy up to make them suitable for rehoming. Does not have to do this at all. I have an annoying barking dog near me that coincidentally was reported to dog warden but there is nothing they can do about it, they called alright but can only check that there is a licence.

Bit of a generalisation.
 
RedOnion said:
A bit harsh? They might not be doing whatever it is you expect them to do, but I've seen first hand some work performed by a dog warden that I would classify as the opposite of lazy.
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Monbretia said:
I know a dog warden and they go above and beyond the call of duty a lot of the time, have taken home more strays to fatten up and tidy up to make them suitable for rehoming. Does not have to do this at all. I have an annoying barking dog near me that coincidentally was reported to dog warden but there is nothing they can do about it, they called alright but can only check that there is a licence.

Bit of a generalisation.
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are you sure there was nothing the dog warden could do about it or was it a case of them saying they couldnt ( didnt want to ) do anything about it ?
 
There isn't anything they can do, barking dogs is not their remit unless there is something more with it like the dog being left tied up all day or left with no shelter. They are out all day doing a job I certainly wouldn't do, there are some very unpleasant parts to that job!
 
Monbretia said:
There isn't anything they can do, barking dogs is not their remit unless there is something more with it like the dog being left tied up all day or left with no shelter. They are out all day doing a job I certainly wouldn't do, there are some very unpleasant parts to that job!
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i did not know that , thought it was they who deal with nuisance barkers , quite a few people assumed they are the people who deal with that

only time ive had to deal with them was in relation to an ( eccentric ) elderly man who regularly used to have six filthy dogs walking with him and his grandson who was in a buggy , was living in a different location at the time a number of years ago , i occasionally walked down the road this man used to walk his dogs , ive always been a keen walker , anyway one day i wasnt actually out walking but pulled up in a car with my girlfriend as she thought she had a flat tyre , anyway i got out and one of this mans dogs ran over to me , puts his two filthy paws on each of my shoulders , dog ruined a 200 euro jacket , when i asked the gentlemen if he thought it was a good idea to have so many dogs roaming around without leads , he told me to feck off , i rang the dog warden and told them where he lived , explained the carry on , followed it up a few weeks later , warden claimed he couldnt find the mans house
 
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I really wouldn't have much confidence in the council either! However I don't have too many options. The people - my neighbours- are probably members of the rat family themselves so a rat in their garden would not deter them. They know its irritating to me and don't care, there don't seem to be any laws to protect the person who abides by the law as regarding rubbish disposal from the person who doesn't! I sort my rubbish and pay for disposal - hers out the back door and heaven knows here else. I think my best option would probably be a registered letter to the council making a complaint and then the onus would be on them to investigate, wouldn't it? They would have a duty to act on the complaint.
If they don't act I don't know where to go from there!!!!!
 
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