Is this odd? Neighbor trash can situation

[Anonymous]

I moved to a two-family home a few months ago. My upstairs neighbor is very nice and we have had good rapport. We both rent.

We each have a garbage can and a recycling can on the side of the driveway. I work from home and she works hybrid. If she isn’t home from work in the evening before trash day I’ll bring all four cans to the curb. Same thing the next day: I’ll grab all four cans and return them to the side of the driveway after the trucks come.

So, here’s the odd thing. If she is home the night before garbage day she brings just hers to the curb; same the next day if she goes out to bring the cans back she will take just hers.

The way her schedule is I am doing the cans 75% of the time. I have no prob doing them (not likes it takes any time or is hard to do) and kind of find it amusing she has no problem with me managing her cans but not returning the favor. Just find it a little weird! Would you?

[Anonymous]

Yes that's weird.

[Anonymous]

Have you ever considered that you may be pulling her cans to the curb before she has a chance to do one last trash run throughout the house? In other words, maybe she's telling you that she'd like to manage her cans and you can do your own.

[Anonymous]

I don't get the problem here. Take you own cans don't worry about hers.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Have you ever considered that you may be pulling her cans to the curb before she has a chance to do one last trash run throughout the house? In other words, maybe she's telling you that she'd like to manage her cans and you can do your own.

NP. I don't think so. This is a stretch.

[Anonymous]

Stop touching her trash it's weird.

[Anonymous]

Honestly I'd just stop doing it.

Listen, my mom is like you, always going above and beyond to help people out. But, sometimes her help is not needed or actually causing more work. Point being, what you think is a lovely gesture may not be appreciated by her for whatever reason. Maybe she think trash cans are super personal and she doesn't want to touch yours.

In any case, continue to do it if it brings you job. But stop if you start to feel odd.

[Anonymous]

Agree. Stop moving hers. She must be home at some point, right?

If she asks you to do it, then offer an exchange.

[Anonymous]

Personally, I take my trash out the night before garbage day. I would not want my barrels out at the cur yet. Maybe she would be happy for you to stop and is hoping you will realize?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Have you ever considered that you may be pulling her cans to the curb before she has a chance to do one last trash run throughout the house? In other words, maybe she's telling you that she'd like to manage her cans and you can do your own.

Yep, I bet it is this. I would not want someone else taking my trash cans in and out, but I wouldn’t quite know how to politely ask her to stop. Jus taking out and retrieving your own bins is a way to politely send the message without a weird discussion about it.

[Anonymous]

I would not want someone taking my cans out when it's still workday/commute time. I'm sometimes dealing with trash in my house at 9 pm. I definitely don't have all my trash out in the can the full 24 hours before trash, when I'm leaving for work the day before.

I would be annoyed if I came home from work at 7pm, and my trash can was now 30 feet farther walk, that I need to haul a bit dirty trash bag to.

I can't believe someone else says this theory is a stretch.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Have you ever considered that you may be pulling her cans to the curb before she has a chance to do one last trash run throughout the house? In other words, maybe she's telling you that she'd like to manage her cans and you can do your own.

Yep, I bet it is this. I would not want someone else taking my trash cans in and out, but I wouldn’t quite know how to politely ask her to stop. Jus taking out and retrieving your own bins is a way to politely send the message without a weird discussion about it.

Exactly.

OP you are inconveniencing this person every single week she works from the office. She's trying to be gentle without directly telling you to back off.

[Anonymous]

OP, is this the scenario?

Trash day is Wednesday morning before everyone wakes up, so it has to be out the night before.
Tuesday morning your neighbor leaves for work at 8am.
At 6pm Tuesday night, you take her trash out to the curb.
At 7pm Tuesday night, your neighbor gets home.
After dinner, she has more trash generated, recycling from the day, etc, so additional trash that needs to get out to the curb, she has to walk it out to the street to the bin?

Yeah, she doesn't want you taking her can to the curb because it's an inconvenience, but she doesn't want to embarrass you. She thought you would clue in when she didn't reciprocate.

[Anonymous]

OP here — she’s asked me to do her cans before when she was out of town so I don’t think it’s a weird “don’t touch my trash” thing. (She’s also asked me twice to cat sit as a favor (no pay) so maybe she just likes having help?)

Plus, the cans when out front are right next to the front entry vs having to go down the steps, around the corner, down the long driveway to rear of house to toss trash or drag them to the front.

But yeah, I guess I could stop doing it!

[Anonymous]

OP would annoy me and I would want a new neighbor