My neighbor has trash in their yard.

[Anonymous]

My neighbor keeps leaving bags of trash outside the exit of their walkout basement. They will sit there for weeks at a time and blow litter around. I've talked to them about it, but it only improves temporarily. It is only a few feet from our driveway, and it is driving me crazy. Clearly this isn't sanitary. Do I have any recourse? We have no HOA and are in Fairfax County.

DH is looking for a new job and I shudder to think what this is doing to our potential sale price if I can't get them to pick up their garbage.

[Anonymous]

My next-door neighbors are the laziest 2 adults in upper NW. Their Little Ivy degrees did not prepare them to actually carry the trash bag to the alley 20 feet away, evidently. They just pile up bags outside the kitchen door all week. Some times the rodents rip them open, sometimes not.

To answer your question OP, it does not sound like a health hazard that is actionable (like, it might be paper and old toys, vs. vermin-attracting food).

In your shoes I'd install a cute fence all along that part of your driveway so it blocks the view of your gross neighbors. Or some fast-growing Leyland Cypress trees, or a combination of the 2.

[Anonymous]

Just tell them you are getting rodents due to the issue. I hate apartments that put the trash too far from the living areathats why I moved away from this

[Anonymous]

My neighbors did this. I just started walking over and picking the trash up for them every time it got spread around. They were pretty humiliated to see my entire family picking up THEIR garbage one evening as they returned home from dinner. Now they secure it, and they don't speak to us, kind of a little bonus.

[Anonymous]

The house next door to us recently sold. The former owner was a single woman owner who did not seem to have enough time to take care of her property. I found that if I got debris from her house, the I would pick it up and leave it on her doorstep. She found it once when she had visitors to her house who had to walk around her trash strewn on her doorstep. She started putting her trash out in a can instead of just bags on the curb.

[Anonymous]

MYOB unless it becomes a legitimate health concern, OP.

[Anonymous]

Buy them a trashcan for christmas. I've never understood why people out here don't use them. We have an HOA (where people are SUPPOSED to use trashcans) but at least half of the people just carry out mountains of bags on trash day. I always wonder where they've been keeping these bags since the last trash day. Both our neighbors have cans.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My neighbors did this. I just started walking over and picking the trash up for them every time it got spread around. They were pretty humiliated to see my entire family picking up THEIR garbage one evening as they returned home from dinner. Now they secure it, and they don't speak to us, kind of a little bonus.

Perfect. Nothing like a little dose of shame to motivate people.

[Anonymous]

In my former townhouse, I had renter neighbors who just didn't give a crap about the state of their property. So before we listed my house, we hired a guy to trim their hedges when he trimmed mine. (I did tell them first, knowing that their landlord wouldn't care.) You may have to just dispose of their garbage yourself if you decide to sell your place - just put it out with your garbage cans on trash day and be done with it.

or do you not have trash collection in your 'hood?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My neighbors did this. I just started walking over and picking the trash up for them every time it got spread around. They were pretty humiliated to see my entire family picking up THEIR garbage one evening as they returned home from dinner. Now they secure it, and they don't speak to us, kind of a little bonus.

Perfect. Nothing like a little dose of shame to motivate people.

Actually, this was quite brilliant!!

[Anonymous]

If you live in Montgomery County. Call Housing Code inspection. I have done this over and over for all sorts of problems. One neighbor took about a year to get it, but used to have all sorts of trash in the front and back yard. Mattresses, toilets, old appliances. Now they don't do it, they got the message that it is unacceptable.

I suspect other counties, and DC have similar programs.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If you live in Montgomery County. Call Housing Code inspection. I have done this over and over for all sorts of problems. One neighbor took about a year to get it, but used to have all sorts of trash in the front and back yard. Mattresses, toilets, old appliances. Now they don't do it, they got the message that it is unacceptable.

I suspect other counties, and DC have similar programs.

YES! We had to do this on our neighbors in MC as well. If they do find a violation they are given an amount of time to correct it. It was a little embarassing the day the inspector showed up and talked with the owner. It helped in the short term and I have the number readily available for each and every time they go back to their old ways. I'm sure they know its me, but we its a great resource.

[Anonymous]

Thanks. I'll see if there is a similar service for Fairfax County.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If you live in Montgomery County. Call Housing Code inspection. I have done this over and over for all sorts of problems. One neighbor took about a year to get it, but used to have all sorts of trash in the front and back yard. Mattresses, toilets, old appliances. Now they don't do it, they got the message that it is unacceptable.

I suspect other counties, and DC have similar programs.

YES! We had to do this on our neighbors in MC as well. If they do find a violation they are given an amount of time to correct it. It was a little embarassing the day the inspector showed up and talked with the owner. It helped in the short term and I have the number readily available for each and every time they go back to their old ways. I'm sure they know its me, but we its a great resource.

It warms my heart to read this. We have absolutely crappy neighbors on both sides and I report violations on a regular basis. I'm glad to know other people call because after a while I really hate to be the person that gets riled up by trash, abandoned vehicles or dogs left outside to bark for hours.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Buy them a trashcan for christmas. I've never understood why people out here don't use them. We have an HOA (where people are SUPPOSED to use trashcans) but at least half of the people just carry out mountains of bags on trash day. I always wonder where they've been keeping these bags since the last trash day. Both our neighbors have cans.

We have neighbors who own trash cans, pull them out to the curb, take the bags out and pile them, and then bring the empty can in. I do not get it.

They also don't seem to grasp that the trash gets delayed a day got holidays. I understand. It realizing its Columbus Day, but they've put the trash out on Christmas and the 4th of July!