r/Glasgow Tools

Similar issue with my bin area, which houses 6 bins for owners/renters, two paper/plastic/ cans recycling bins, a brown bin and a glass recycling bin. For a while after I moved in 5 years ago I would routinely find that other residents had dumped their trash in my bin because either they were too lazy to recycle and/or they produced so much rubbish.

Apparently it never occurred to them that several households might be dumping in my bin leaving me no room or that I might not want punctured trash bags containing spoiled meat in there. Dog walkers would routinely step in and dump their little bags of shit (well, presumably, not actually *their* shit) in the nearest bin, too.

The day I went out to dispose of my non- recycled stuff and found maggots - literally hundreds of them- crawling all over the bin was the last straw. I bought a bin padlock, which is simply a small metal bar with holes in it which the padlock fits through and fitted it. It's sad how happy that made me.

Now, any time I go out there and there's crap on the ground or someone else's bin is overflowing it doesn't bother me any more. It has become an SEP (someone else's problem). I don't know why it works that way for me but it does.

I've schooled myself to identify problems I can do nothing about and ignore those. The lovely scenic approach to my place is regularly blighted by fly tippers, who must certainly go straight to hell when they die. I used to fantasise about hiding in the bushes in the darkness with a flame thrower and roasting the feckers. Or following them home and setting fire to their cars (years of playing The Sims has taught me that setting fire to things can resolve a lot of problems). But I gradually realised I was getting mad about stuff that I couldn't change, however annoying it was. I try nowadays to view those things like the weather: it just is, whether i like it or not. The less I think about it, the less it bothers me.

I'm not suggesting this as an option for anyone else, but it works for me.