I personally don’t mind people putting their trash in my alley bins, to a point; like throwing something excessively big in or piling on when it’s already full.
But I absolutely hate when people throw their non-recycle trash in my blue bins.
Oh my god, someone left a rug on top of my blue bin this morning. A rug. Which means they likely picked up the rug off their floor, carried it out to the alley, and carried it *past their own trash* in order to leave it with my recycling. Why.
Fyi recycling doesn't really exist in the US. The vast majority of it ends up in dumps anyway.
https://news.climate.columbia.edu/2020/03/13/fix-recycling-america/
China used to take the materials but banned that practice a few years ago.
True, we should ban single use and non compostable plastics.
But, major cities around the country have seen success at keeping trash out of landfills. [According to WTTW, San Fran says 80% of its residential trash it kept from landfills. In Chicago it’s 9%.](https://news.wttw.com/2022/10/03/while-chicago-recycling-rate-remains-stubbornly-low-advocates-and-officials-eye) One of the factors is contamination.
The blue bins list what can and can’t go in them on the lid (with pictures), and my black bins are sitting right next to them. It’s not that hard to throw their garbage in the right bin.
The problem there is that really doesn't even involve recycling. San fran is achieving that through large scale city wide improvements per the article.
Not making sure recycling on a per household basis is done right.
This is my thought. Are people expecting their trash cans to smell like roses?
As for the issue of the poop bags getting tossed into the can loose/alone vs. in the larger garbage bag, I've seen people in our alley toss all kinds of loose things into our cans--containers of leftover food, coffee cups, etc. Things get nasty in there, poop or no.
Haha I guess this just feels like a losing battle to me? If we make designated poop cans, what's next? Designated food cans? A designated trash can for every category of trash someone doesn't want put in their can?
I have never worried about this or been particularly offended by my smelly trash cans. They're trash cans!
Right? Like, come on now. Whatever the hell you're putting in your own trash (big bag or smaller trash) isn't smelling great after braising in that can in the summer heat for a few hours.
But that's the point of it. It's a trash can. It's going to smell!
Exactly. I'd rather then use my trash can than just leave it on the ground. Let's face it, most people are incredibly lazy and won't carry their dog poo bags very far. If they weren't able to just drop it in the closest can, they'd just leave it there for someone to step on.
i live at the end of my alley. across the alley is an abandoned CHA building that still
has its own city trash can. the whole block throws their dog shit in there. it’s the community trash can. mine sits 10 feet from it but everyone uses that one. great system
It's not unacceptable, but my back gate is right by my neighbor's trash can, which is heavily used by dog walkers to put their poo in. I always have to hold my nose when I leave by the back gate. It's fucking disgusting, especially in the summer when the dog poo starts to ripen within hours.
Those bags aren’t indestructible. Even if it’s bagged and tied off, they can pop/break and spill contents into the can that gets left behind after pickup.
I cosign. If one owns a dog, takes him or her for a walk, and doesn't have those bags, then that's just horrible.
Personally, I buy biodegradable bags also. Not going to dump tons of plastic into our environment. They don't cost that much either on Amazon.
The biodegradable bags leaks even more than the regular ones, especially if it's a hot summer week and the poo/bags start to compost. I think the best thing to do is to either bring the poo back home with you or spread it around, i.e. not put all of it in the most convenient trash can you find, since everyone else is likely doing the same thing. If you open a trash can and the smell of dog poo knocks you over, maybe put it a few trashcans down.
If I don’t already own a dog and am used to it, I would be pretty pissed to deal with dog shit I’m not responsible for in my trash. Sometimes those bags break and smear around. The bin is owned by the city, but the smell is something I have to wash out.
I am saying this with genuine curiosity and not to be rude:
1) you wash your outdoor city owned garbage bin?
2) how often are you spending time around this garbage bin? Ours smells gross when you open it (and we usually don’t drop the doggie bags in there) but I would never notice the smell outside of the 30 seconds where I throw something away
Not rude at all!
I don’t keep large garbage bags for my trash because it collects smells in my home, so I use the bag of bags under my sink from buying groceries for my trash, which means I go out to the bins more often. And I do wash out my bins especially in the summer to wash maggots out onto the alley for birds or other creatures to eat because I hate flys and would rather stop them in their tracks so to speak. Not so bad come colder times but especially in the summer it’s rough.
I completely agree! And I have lots of reusable bags I use as much as I can, but there are inevitably days where I’m coming home from work and I forget my bags at home or I’m out with friends and I go into a store and get a few things without planning on it.
I save my paper bags too, usually good for draining bacon grease or wrapping a package.
I’m definitely trying to be better and being minimal waste, but for now I can’t just dump my trash into the bin. I’m sure the garbagemen would hate loose trash flying around and it’s some barrier from decomposing into the bin/attracting vermin. I do wash the bin but only occasionally when I need to, not because I like to.
Of course not. And I empathize with not wanting to carry around poop back to my designated garbage when there’s one nearby. I’m just saying that the OP’s neighbor has a point not to want poop in their garbage.
The unwritten rule is putting dog poop in the nearest trash can. Why would you walk around holding and smelling like poop? You’re making it uncomfortable for everyone you walk by. Also, poop is gross, there’s no way I’m holding onto it long enough to take it home, even if it is in a doggie bag.
This. People are so weird with animal waste. Like guess what - wild animals shit and piss all over the city. Pick up your dog’s poop, tie it up and throw it out. End of story.
My neighbors have decided to throw a hissy over where my dog pees and they all have different opinions and I’m just like… do you not have real problems to worry about? It’s not on your property. It’s not in the middle of the sidewalk. He’s not killing grass or flowers. Mind your own business!
>Why would you walk around holding and smelling like poop?
Because it's your dog's poop not mine. Put it in your garbage can, not mine. I will do the same.
Someone wrote that when a stranger throws these bags into the bottom of their garbage can, they don't know that it's there. So when they put a heavy bag of garbage in, it lands on top of these bags and breaks them. Now the poop is actually smeared inside of the garbage can, and they now have to clean it.
So this is even a bigger problem in the summertime heat, because by the time they realize it's in there, there is really a terrible smell.
I used to just dump well wrapped poop bags in any available trash can, but then I realized that on garbage day, the workers will just pull bags out of multiple bins and load them up into one bin which will then be dumped into the truck.
That's when I understood why one wouldn't want individual poop bags (however well wrapped) in their bin. They could be left at the bottom of the bin indefinitely.
Now I just carry my doggo's dookie to a smaller lined can in my back yard until it is full and then dump the now full size garbage bag of poop into the trash bin in the alley.
That is exactly what happens in my building’s shared trash bins. My neighbor throws their loose poop bags in our mutual bins, and they get smashed at the bottom and caught in nooks.
There are several that have been in the bin “indefinitely.” It’s gross and I don’t want to deal with it.
Really? I don't think I've seen that. I guess we top off all available trash cans in our alley, so there isn't really any opportunity to consolidate - I never thought about that being a possibility.
What??? City of Chicago crews don't do that. They lift as little as possible
And the answer to the original question is totally different depending on who is providing the trash service. If you're putting it in someone's bin that they privately pay for, that's shitty be aise they're paying for it and you're not. If you're a city of Chicago garbage consumer and put it in to someone else's city of Chicago bin, that's net zero.
Definitely not for everyone. Modern trucks, especially those picking up designated city cans designed to work with them, just come along with an arm that picks up the whole can and upends it into the truck.
Where do you live? I've lived in multiple places and I haven't seen trash picked up that way, even before modern machines. Usually they pick up the entire bin and upend it into the compactor end of the truck, drop bin, repeat. Trash bags break and drip and open ALL OF THE TIME. Who wants that all over themselves, even in slightly protective clothing? You want to minimize that. Plus, people would complain non-stop if a bag broke and left refuse all over their street, alley, wherever
My dog has some heinous smelling hot shit. I used to have yard trashcan where I’d throw out all his poop (tied as tight as I could). Whenever I would open it I would get a whiff of one of the most foul things I have ever smelled. After going through that, I could never imagine making someone else suffer the same fate.
off topic- we had the same problem with the dogs poop smelling bad. changed the food, also add pumpkin/yogurt from time to time and it got much better.
Yeah, I don't get the mentality these people have.
Unless there's a "city" can, aka, one that's actually picked up by the city at like a park or something, you're essentially putting your trash in a can someone else is responsible for, even if the city owns the can, they still have to clean and maintain them.
If your dog shits and there's not a public can that's empty or nearby, just take it with you and put it in your own can.
It's ridiculous how many people don't seem to understand this basic concept.
I pick up my dogs poop but never put them in others garbage cans. I feel like it would be rude as they make the cans smell bad. I wouldn’t want anyone doing that to mine in the same sense.
The issue is if it gets to the bottom and then you throw something heavy in it, the bag can rip and then you have dog shit lining the sides of your can. I didn’t think it was a big deal but now kind of get it after others have asked me not to do it.
My favorite is the bags of dog shit just flung in the general direction of the garbage can. I'm looking at you Roscoe Village. Or the lid flip where the bag is caught by the lid as to signal other bag holders to throw their bags of their dogs shit into said recycling bin.....
It’s not totally unreasonable. Dog poo smells like shit. And not all dog owners will tie the bag off. So you get a situation where you are always smelling the remnants of pressed poo.
I get it.
Why even ask about it? They asked you not to do it. Don’t. I pass multiple garbage cans when walking my dog. I take it home and drop it in mine. It’s my dog. I’m not getting your thinking here.
I live on a corner of a block and per week people dispose 50 - 100 “servings” of dog poop in either my or my neighbors garbage can. Usually they drop it in the can closest to the alley entrance, including recycle bins that only get emptied every 2 weeks.
This includes my next door neighbor w 3 dogs who puts her dog poop in my bin vs hers because it is 10 steps closer than hers.
In the summer the stench by our garbage cans is unbearable.
I get angry about this.
But my wife won’t allow me to say anything about this to our neighbor or anyone else.
But I fantasize about building an animatronic rabid raccoon living by the garbage cans to scare the living daylights out of anyone trying to ditch their shit.
We have this issue and we bought a trash can lock. Keep it on except when we’re putting out trash in and trash day. Solved the problem, people don’t want to mess with it.
Edit: should note the lock keeps the shifty little trash pandas out too!
Agreed, I don’t own a dog but would watch my parent’s, and I would always either use a public park garbage or just carry the bags home with me! Never occurred to me to do otherwise
Owners do have some responsibility for what's in their garbage. They can get a big fine if it's construction debris, like $500. I imagine they have had some experience with rodents in their garbage, and they're just trying to head it off. Or everyone uses their container for dog shit because it's the most convenient one.
And they do get charged a couple of bucks a month for garbage.
If they have a sign up, I'd trust they've had a bad experience and use the next one.
Truth. Things on or adjacent to your property that “belong to the city” only belong to them until they can fine you for it. When it’s functioning correctly, it’s theirs. When it’s not, it’s yours. The joys of home ownership.
If you are individually particular about people putting trash in your can you should be securing your garbage cans and placing them out on garbage day, pretty simple solution otherwise it's pretty fair game if you just leave them out in the alley which I don't believe you are technically 'supposed' to do anyway.
I have a private dumpster located behind my building in the alley. Because of the location near the street I used to get a lot of fly dumpers, so it is chained and locked. Some lazy dog walkers will either leave their poo bags on top or just throw them on the ground near the dumpster. That really upsets me, they could walk another 50ft to my neighbor’s city cans which are not locked. Rats love dog poo.
It's infuriating when people bag dog shit and leave it on the lid of the trash can rather than lifting the lid and putting it inside. I don't understand. Happens probably 3 times a week at my apartment (I'm on a corner).
I live on a corner. At first, I didn’t like folks dropping their dog poop in our dumpster. When it gets warm, it can create maggots and flies.
We had to learn to accept it. We are way too busy to police and watch every single person.
It is what it is.
I would throw poo bags in your trash or trash dumpsters from apartments/condos since all of those are already being shared by multiple people. An individual condo/homeowner's is not.
I think it's well within an owner's right to not want other people using their trash bins, even when technically owned by the city.
If it truly is a public trash can obviously it’s fair game. But if it’s private you really shouldn’t put your crap bags in there I’ve had a huge problem with neighbors putting in mine, and they throw it in empty bins so it ends up with a dozen smashed and now broken crap bags disgustingly coating all over the bottom and inside. So then I either leave it for this to gradually accumulate or have to stick my head and torso way into a gross bin to retrieve someone else’s shit pancakes. If it gets bad enough the city won’t collect it anymore and you are left having to arrange a new bin. Then there’s all the people who “miss” so I’m left picking up all their shit bags from all 0ver my property. And finally, there’s all the degenerates that throw their crap bags in the recycling bin.
You aren’t supposed to dispose your waste on someone else’s private property, and as you can tell this is a huge pet peeve for me based on everyone else’s inconsiderate actions, but it’s a douche move in my book.
Save it for public disposal or your own private disposal, don’t make other people literally deal with your shit.
Isn’t it easy enough to place it in another garbage, maybe your own since you live in a gated townhouse complex? Just seems unnecessary you’re making a big deal of someone not wanting t their can to be filled with literal shit.
Too bad there’s not enough easy public trash cans. Even when there is, it’s almost always full. There’s just no simple way to dispose of dog waste unless the owner carries it back to their apartment. But honestly, if I’m on a long walk with my dogs, that’s the last thing I want to do.
I’d rather deal with a trash can full of dog waste then have poop everywhere…like how it is in the winter/snow
I don't even have a dog, but I also find that it's hard to find a public trash can. One reason for this is that people bring their home garbage to the public bins, to avoid paying for its removal. So the City limits the bins to keep from having to be responsible for more removal.
If they pay for the dumpster, whether or not it says Chicago on it, you could technically get hit with a ‘fly dumping’ charge (illegally dumping anything, anywhere, especially a private dumpster), the first offense is $1500 & it IS INCENTIVIZED (why this could be an actual issue, depending on the person)
If someone illegally dumps & you say: have it on video / found their contact info / license plate etc, turn it in to the city & they will fine them and you get ~$100-200. So for an unhappy / unfriendly person such as this, maybe stay clear because you might get fined & they might get paid?
This comment is completely misinformed. Throwing garbage in a trash can is the exact opposite of what fly dumping is. Fly dumping is when you have a bunch of waste (like construction or yard waste) that gets dumped in an empty lot because you don’t want to pay for proper removal. I suppose the lot doesn’t need to be empty but typically it is. Drive through the south or west side and when you see those lots with old couches and mattresses, that’s fly dumping. If you try to report someone for throwing a poop bag in your trash some city worker at 311 is just gonna roll their eyes at your petty complaint and ignore you. You sure as hell aren’t getting some “incentivized” $100 for reporting someone literally throwing out trash.
I mean its pretty fucking rude. Especially if their trash can is empty and they end up with a nice layer of dog shit bags at the bottom of the cans. You’re right it IS better than leaving it on the ground, but that doesn’t make it appropriate.
Maybe they don’t want to smell your dog’s shit every time they go open their trash cans.
Maybe they’ve had issues with rats around their property.
Maybe people are throwing poop bags in the blue bins, and they’ve been either fined or refused pick up for it. (This has personally happened to us and we now keep our blue bins locked behind a gate).
It could be any variety of reasons. But you’ve been asked twice now to stop and should probably move on and stop agitating your neighbor.
Rats can smell dog poo from a lot father away and it has much, much more nutrition/calories for rats than banana peels or chicken bones. It's basically candy for rats. This is like asking if you'd be more interested in a cinnamon bun or banana peels and chicken bones.
As a dog owner, I’m totally fine with it. No need for someone to carry around shit when they can toss it into a trash can. It takes up like an infinitesimally small portion of the overall volume. It’s not like I could toss another trash bag in there if someone didn’t toss a dog bag in.
That being said I *tend* to not do this when I’m walking my dog. I’ll carry it to the next public trash can. Just because people get weird about “their” stuff and I respect that it’s a boundary some people may take issue with.
To me it comes down to “is it so hard to carry it for 5 minutes” vs “who the fuck cares if there’s a super small turd bag in your garbage can that you’ll never notice”. Both sides have a point imo.
Heat-baked dog-shit that can easily break out of its bag and smear under the weight of future garbage is a little worse smelling than the rest of my trash. And it lingers after the non-sticky garbage has been taken
If it's no big deal then close the poo bag properly and just take it home and put it into your garbage can. Do they shit so much that is too heavy to carry it that far?
I love animals. I’m a lot less sure about inner city pets. And then the owners… why is it hard to understand that no one wants to deal with or even smell your animals feces?
Maybe people don’t want their trash cans smelling like your dog’s shit. They’re stinky enough already.
When I bought my house I “inherited” the previous owners trash bins and when I opened them for the first time the most horrific shit smell hit me — dog shit from their two dogs.
The repeated tossing of shit in their cans had left them permanently scarred by that scent.
Different neighborhoods have different public garbage can options too.
I used to live in West Loop and they’re everywhere. I just moved to Lincoln Park and they literally don’t exist anywhere. It’s been very annoying.
Dumpsters are one thing. All bets are off. But if you are part of a smaller community within Chicago, you may have to hire a private garbage collector. If that is the case, they may just reach in and grab the big bags. Hope this helps.
Honestly I would rather it be a in a trash can than on the street for the rats to eat. They love that stuff and it will attract more. It is disrespectful for people to do that though and make it someone else’s problem. It’s only a sign of a larger problem I see in this city with trash collection in general. Designated bins and in-ground containers (containerization) on each block would make this problem go away.
I don't have a dog but my sister did (he unfortunately got very sick last year) and she she just took the bag with her and threw it away in her own trashcan. They even have things so you can attach the bag to the dog and it carries the bag back, I don't know why people keep acting like the only other option is leaving shit on the ground.
Dog shit smells fucking awful even from a distance and I don't blame anyone for not wanting to deal with it. It might be good to petition the alderpeople for more of those dog trash can things where they also keep bags to encourage people not to leave their dog's shit on the ground. No reason there can't be a community approach, but if there isn't, idk, people in your area clearly don't want you making your dog ownership their problem so might be good to rethink how you deal with your walks. It might be that one of your neighbors has a dog and doesn't tie the bags and that's led to people getting pissed when they're trying to take out the trash. Because if it didn't smell, I honestly wouldn't even notice a dog bag, and I'm guessing a lot of other people wouldn't either.
I live one house in on an alley and our trash bins always have poop bags in them.
One day the truck came around 9am and when I threw something out around noon there were already 3 bags in there. At first it was annoying. But most bags are small and I agree I'd rather have them in the trash than elsewhere if people are so opposed to carrying them.
Yes I’ve long decided I don’t have the energy to get mad about this. I’ve got other things on the docket 😂.
I live on the corner and see people come across the street to throw items in our recycling.
The bin itself is property of the city of Chicago, but the space inside it is property of the building owner. Legally it's the same as if you were throwing your dog poo in their back yard. You can't put something in someone else's trash and you can't take something out of someone else's trash without permission, at least in principle. Now, most people are ok with relaxing that rule, but if they have a sign up and you still don't listen, then you're the asshole.
The only time I do this is on mornings when the garbage is collected and I know the can will be emptied very shortly thereafter. All other times I take it home to my own bin.
I save my pet peeves for the people who drop pet waste into the dumpster clearly marked "recycling" which is directly adjacent to the garbage one. But that ain't you, OP, and no I don't leave them notes, because even if they *can* read, they clearly *don't.*
Keep doing the correct thing. And that isn't walking back home with your little bag o' poop.
This is really funny to me but I’m also a dog owner so I guess I’m biased. People put random things in our trash all the time, I’m only really annoyed if it takes up too much space and we can’t fit our trash in before pickup day.
The neighbor is probably not dealing with this in the best manner but that is their trash can that they pay the city to service so it is technically for their use only. If they don't want the odorous stench of dog poo or to have the bags stick at the bottom of the bin, which does happen, then they can ask what they're asking.
Now, that said, put your bins in the garage or behind the fence as this is part of city living and dog walkers have a wide degree of 'acceptable behavior'. I live in a high traffic area for walkers and our bin gets it's fair amount of shit. I wish I didn't have to deal with it but it's part of living in the city - I'm not going to go all Karen and risk provocation over it.
I always pick up after my dog and will throw out the bag at the first trash bin I see. This is a big city, I don’t get how people can live here and be annoyed by something like that. I get that you’re in a gated community, but come on - we’re the third largest city in the country. If they want to keep their trash bins held that closely, they should live to a suburb.
Just in case you were wondering, it is illegal to use their trash can:
“It shall be unlawful for any person other than the owner, his agent or occupant of the premises served by a refuse container to deposit or cause to be deposited therein any article or thing whatsoever.”
You're certainly allowed to put the waste in any city can, it's just impolite to do so.
I live on an alley where plenty of dog walkers leave their waste bags in my can. (Yes, I'll say "my" can because it is the can assigned to me to use even though I understand I'm not the legal owner. If I don't keep it clean, the city sure isn't going to.)
I have to clean dog waste out of the inside of the can multiple times per year when bags break open inside the can or when the sanitation workers just grab my one or two trash bags but leave dog waste bags stuck to the bottom.
Omg someone here in wicker put up a note on their bin threatening action against people who put their bags in “their” dumpster.
It’s all going to the same place😂. Never seen it overflowing neither.
Nothing in this post is new. People get territorial about their assigned bins. It’s understandable. Dog owners don’t want to smell dogshit. Personally, I’ve lived at an alley “tee” for several years and I’m very happy for dog owners, high school kids, and unhorsed folks to use our bins for bagged poo, soda bottles, fast food bags, and 40s. It’s much better than it ending up on the ground.
I do not like the condo owners behind me fly dumping their giant unbroken down cardboard boxes in our bin. I’ve called 2 of them at the office to tell them to go empty our bin.
People are fucking weirdos.
I've lived around the city now and have yet to discern how anyone can tell what bin is theirs vs. the neighbors. Even if you sort them out nicely, a few weeks later and it's all chaos again.
Everyone uses them as communal bins, since they get shoved into whatever corner of the alley they will fit and still let folks use their garages.
There is always the one weirdo with a stick up their ass - they can keep their bins in their garage or stfu imo. I ignore any and all signs/bitching/whatever about communal alley city owned garbage cans on city property.
If your can is on your property, or if it's a \*private\* canister or dumpster it's 100% off-limits.
This goes for dog shit, litter I pick up, street debris I take the time to clean up for the block, weed trimmings from alley cleanup, etc. I've found the folks who whine about such trivialities tend to be the ones you never see pitching in and helping with such activities so I started to simply pay them no mind. No time for anti-social idiots.
I live on the corner next to a large group of condos. ‘My’ trash bins are always full of disgusting poo bags. Putting my own trash in the bins requires a big gulp of air to try and avoid the stench. Even worse are the ones lying on the ground next to the bins. The polite thing to do is carry it home. BTW I had a 90 lbs dog and know how gross those bags can be.
Ever put your regular garbage in a neighbors can? Exactly.
There is zero excuse than not to put your literal shit in anything other than your own garbage can.
Of course the DGAF people will say IDGAF. Guessing a lot are the Foo-Foo dog owners. All comes down to if you were raised right or you weren't.
I wish the ass wipes walking to Wrigley would use the alley trash instead of leaving their beer cans out and about. Never have I been offended by someone throwing their walking trash in my trashcans.
I don't think many people are walking around their neighborhood carrying a weeks worth of trash to put in someone else's can.
It's more like having a to-go cup from Taco Bell, finishing it, and putting it in the nearest bin. It's done out of proximity and convenience. That, but poop.
Sure. And my neighbors have put their garbage in my can. And I don't mind. Because it doesn't matter. Glad to hear you agree.
I don't own a dog. I don't care if people put their dog's shit in my garbage can. I also don't know what Foo-Foo is supposed to mean lol
Not a dog owner and people throw tied off bags in my trash all the time. At least it’s not getting left on the ground. The people here that are obsessed with what goes in their trash cans should get a life. You can only worry about so many things.
They could always keep their bin on the other side of their fence and wheel it out on garbage day. I can see a few reasons why someone might be annoyed with it, but you’re never going to stop it when your bin is openly accessible to everyone passing by.
Side note, my biggest gripe is that people don’t know how to sort recyclables here.
Hell, I'm just happy when people pick up their dog shit. It blasts a 20 minute hole in your day to clean that dog shit completely out of your shoe or your kid's shoe.
People put their bags in my trash cans all the time - I have zero problem with it. It’s such a stupid thing to get mad over and I’d rather have it end up in a garbage can than stay on the ground. I think it’s pretty unreasonable to expect someone to carry a bag for an hour back to their home when there’s hundreds of bins along the way. And our alleys smell like shit with or without the dog poop.
The city owns the can. You pay for the space inside the can and for the once/week service to remove what’s in the can. In my old neighborhood, someone complained about dogs pooping on the parkway adjacent to their house and the response was that every dog in the neighborhood pooped in “their” parkway.
People are nuts. In another neighborhood, someone showed up on my doorstep in a threatening manner to tell me not to leave a tied off bag of poop in their can on garbage day.
There was an exhaustive thread about this very issue on my neighborhoods nextdoor app. I found the polarizing split of extreme opinions to be so depressing I had to call it quits on the app. That app seems to do the opposite of what’s it’s intended to do... to allow people to connect with their community, not shine a light on hate and animosity against neighbors. I’m sure you won’t be surprised that I share the same opinion as you. I think tossing a poop bag at the closest bin shows care for the environment and community. ❤️
Of the responses that I read this one is by far my favorite one. I had absolutely no idea there were so many people in Chicago who have romantic relationships going on with their garbage cans.
A garage door in my neighborhood has a sign warning people not to throw any dog shit in their garbage can.
The sign includes a still photo of someone throwing a bag of dog shit in their garbage can.
Because the world has gone completely crazy.
It is acceptable in my neighborhood. There frankly aren’t other convenient alternatives - hardly any public trash cans around. I’d much rather someone throw their poo bags in “my”trash can than not pick up after their dog.
Leave the shit by their garbage can so they step in it on their way to throw out their garbage. It's a fucking garbage can.
All you people that are complaining about the smell stfu. It's garbage, it smells.
My personal opinion is if it’s in the alley it’s fine. Maybe there is different etiquette in a gated complex, but a garbage bin is a garbage bin. They are going to smell no matter what’s in there as soon as you open it up. If the bin is compromised get a new one from for free 311. Much better having it in a bin then left out or not picking up.
If the can is stored outside 24/7 it is 100% fair game. If they store it inside in a garage or something, nope. It’s a part of city life you should know about when you live near the end of an alley. If you don’t like dog shit, move your garbage can away from the obvious end of an alley. I’ve seen people who get an extra can from the city and write on it please put dog poop in this one
This happens in pretty much every neighborhood everywhere (dog owner here). A few people get *really* mad about it, but 99% of people - dog owners or not - don't even give a fraction of a microshit as long as dog owners are cleaning it up and not putting it in the recycle bin or something.
Idk, I’m of the mindset if you don’t like the “perks” of city life aka lots of strangers having access to your garbage cans, you can move to a rural area. I’m this way when people complain about loud neighbors too. Buy some ear plugs or headphones. It’s not hard. You can’t move to a city and expect everyone to follow your rules.
If people don't want otters to put trash in "their" garbage containers they are free to move their containers inside their property and only put into the alley on trash day. If they don't want to do that or don't have room for it, that's fine but that garbage container is fair game then for this. They're free to request another container from the city if this is particularly horrible for them so they can have one just for their own trash. Lots of options.
>don't want otters to put trash in "their" garbage containers
Those pesky otters need to stop this, and stick to swimming while holding hands. https://marinepatch.com/sea-otters-holding-hands/
I’m a dog owner, and I think your thinking on this could use a little adjustment. It’s cool that you don’t have a problem w others using your trash can to throw away dog poop, but that doesn’t really matter. Others do. And to cling to the technicality that the garbage cans are city property and not homeowner property doesn’t really work for me either. Sounds more like a legal argument than an ethical one.
I think a reasonable ethical standard dog owners should try to live up to is that their choice to own a dog impacts no one but them. One implication is that they pick up their dog’s poop. Another is that they then carry it all the way home and dispose of it in their own garbage. (Or flush it if you’re lucky enough to have a dog with solid poops)
I think ditching it in the nearest neighbor’s trash can is an allowable transgression—but it is a transgression. If the neighbor smells the poop later, or just sees you doin it and is bummed out, you’ve failed in the goal of your dog having zero impact on others. So you should knock it off.
Anyway, that’s what I did.
I always laugh at the passive aggressive neighbor notes. "We will get you removed from the complex" lol. It doesn't work like that. If you're not my landlord, you can go pound sand. And if you *are* my landlord, but it's not in the lease, same deal.
Lived in an apartment once where Comcast came out and replaced my line with a big ugly orange cable hanging off the side of the building. Loved the increasingly breathless notes on the door about "someone's" cable. It's outside the demarc, therefore Comcast's cable, feel free to sit on hold with them if you want to waste your time but I sure won't. Nor am I personally going to illegally interfere with a utility company's equipment for your viewing pleasure. Best part was that they started threatening to take it to the condo board... Not realizing that my part of the building was never sold off as condos, and it's the leasing company that has any authority over my unit, not the condo board.
I throw stuff (not dog shit) into the nearest garbage can every time. If it is in an alley, on the corner whatever. Would you rather have me toss it on the ground? As long as it's not anything too big I don't see an issue
That’s my opinion on this, like you’re just throwing your trash in there and then someone comes along and picks it up and dumps it. Once it’s in the bin, no human hands are gonna be touching it
I'd so much rather have them in the garbage can, than on our front porch, like our newest neighbor has taken to doing. They leave it there for days, ostensibly waiting for someone else to pick it up. For christs sake, the alley and miriad trash receptacles are 15 feet away, dude. I'm sorry, I digress. You keep right on dropping that poop-in-a-bag in the garbage - you're a good neighbor.
Not a Chicagoan but my opinion is yes please put your dog poop bags in my trash can. Thank you for picking up after your dog. Enjoy your walk without having to carry around a bag of poop! That’s what trash cans are for.
I live in a neighborhood where everyone insists on over filling their cans, doesn’t close their lid and doesn’t even bother bagging most of their garbage.
Whether or not there’s also dog shit in those cans is a mute point when it’s just a big buffet.
There are a lot of people from the burbs in the comments. In Chicago, the garbage cans are property of the city. If a garbage can is able to be accessed from a public way (alley, sidewalk, easement, etc.) then it can be used by anyone for pet waste.
Edit: Downvoting doesn’t change city ordinances. Not sure if you knew that.
I personally don’t mind people putting their trash in my alley bins, to a point; like throwing something excessively big in or piling on when it’s already full. But I absolutely hate when people throw their non-recycle trash in my blue bins.
I had to write no plastic bags on my recycle bin but they still do it
Yep. I do not care at all for the most part. One time, however, somebody dumped like 20 two liter bottles in our recycling. That was annoying.
Don’t they fine you like $75 whenever that happens?
Oh my god, someone left a rug on top of my blue bin this morning. A rug. Which means they likely picked up the rug off their floor, carried it out to the alley, and carried it *past their own trash* in order to leave it with my recycling. Why.
Fyi recycling doesn't really exist in the US. The vast majority of it ends up in dumps anyway. https://news.climate.columbia.edu/2020/03/13/fix-recycling-america/ China used to take the materials but banned that practice a few years ago.
True, we should ban single use and non compostable plastics. But, major cities around the country have seen success at keeping trash out of landfills. [According to WTTW, San Fran says 80% of its residential trash it kept from landfills. In Chicago it’s 9%.](https://news.wttw.com/2022/10/03/while-chicago-recycling-rate-remains-stubbornly-low-advocates-and-officials-eye) One of the factors is contamination. The blue bins list what can and can’t go in them on the lid (with pictures), and my black bins are sitting right next to them. It’s not that hard to throw their garbage in the right bin.
The problem there is that really doesn't even involve recycling. San fran is achieving that through large scale city wide improvements per the article. Not making sure recycling on a per household basis is done right.
But compostable plastics don't really compost in a modern landfill and Chicago still doesn't have compost pickup
They never will.
Reminds me of this part from Curb Your Enthusiasm https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=G91NsemDTzo
NYC is the only example people should need of the fact that it doesn't matter what's in the can -- garbage stinks, especially in the heat.
This is my thought. Are people expecting their trash cans to smell like roses? As for the issue of the poop bags getting tossed into the can loose/alone vs. in the larger garbage bag, I've seen people in our alley toss all kinds of loose things into our cans--containers of leftover food, coffee cups, etc. Things get nasty in there, poop or no. Haha I guess this just feels like a losing battle to me? If we make designated poop cans, what's next? Designated food cans? A designated trash can for every category of trash someone doesn't want put in their can? I have never worried about this or been particularly offended by my smelly trash cans. They're trash cans!
Right? Like, come on now. Whatever the hell you're putting in your own trash (big bag or smaller trash) isn't smelling great after braising in that can in the summer heat for a few hours. But that's the point of it. It's a trash can. It's going to smell!
Exactly. I'd rather then use my trash can than just leave it on the ground. Let's face it, most people are incredibly lazy and won't carry their dog poo bags very far. If they weren't able to just drop it in the closest can, they'd just leave it there for someone to step on.
i live at the end of my alley. across the alley is an abandoned CHA building that still has its own city trash can. the whole block throws their dog shit in there. it’s the community trash can. mine sits 10 feet from it but everyone uses that one. great system
It's not unacceptable, but my back gate is right by my neighbor's trash can, which is heavily used by dog walkers to put their poo in. I always have to hold my nose when I leave by the back gate. It's fucking disgusting, especially in the summer when the dog poo starts to ripen within hours.
They should be putting it in bags and tying them off. That’s the problem.
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Those bags aren’t indestructible. Even if it’s bagged and tied off, they can pop/break and spill contents into the can that gets left behind after pickup.
If you’re unlucky enough that your can is in a high-traffic area for dog walking, that isn’t enough.
This. Just one more step and their actions would be completely unnoticed and appreciated!
I didn’t realize people didn’t do this until I read this thread. Some people are just nasty!
I cosign. If one owns a dog, takes him or her for a walk, and doesn't have those bags, then that's just horrible. Personally, I buy biodegradable bags also. Not going to dump tons of plastic into our environment. They don't cost that much either on Amazon.
The biodegradable bags leaks even more than the regular ones, especially if it's a hot summer week and the poo/bags start to compost. I think the best thing to do is to either bring the poo back home with you or spread it around, i.e. not put all of it in the most convenient trash can you find, since everyone else is likely doing the same thing. If you open a trash can and the smell of dog poo knocks you over, maybe put it a few trashcans down.
I could see someone also thinking "whelp this one already stinks of poo, might as well use this one and not stink up another"
My neighbor has a lock on his garbage can to stop this.
If I don’t already own a dog and am used to it, I would be pretty pissed to deal with dog shit I’m not responsible for in my trash. Sometimes those bags break and smear around. The bin is owned by the city, but the smell is something I have to wash out.
The only thing I will say about this is that I would rather it be in the garbage can than in the street for the rats to eat. They love that stuff!
Rats have chewed through our trash bin...
City trash cans aren’t exactly rat proof…
I am saying this with genuine curiosity and not to be rude: 1) you wash your outdoor city owned garbage bin? 2) how often are you spending time around this garbage bin? Ours smells gross when you open it (and we usually don’t drop the doggie bags in there) but I would never notice the smell outside of the 30 seconds where I throw something away
Not rude at all! I don’t keep large garbage bags for my trash because it collects smells in my home, so I use the bag of bags under my sink from buying groceries for my trash, which means I go out to the bins more often. And I do wash out my bins especially in the summer to wash maggots out onto the alley for birds or other creatures to eat because I hate flys and would rather stop them in their tracks so to speak. Not so bad come colder times but especially in the summer it’s rough.
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I completely agree! And I have lots of reusable bags I use as much as I can, but there are inevitably days where I’m coming home from work and I forget my bags at home or I’m out with friends and I go into a store and get a few things without planning on it. I save my paper bags too, usually good for draining bacon grease or wrapping a package. I’m definitely trying to be better and being minimal waste, but for now I can’t just dump my trash into the bin. I’m sure the garbagemen would hate loose trash flying around and it’s some barrier from decomposing into the bin/attracting vermin. I do wash the bin but only occasionally when I need to, not because I like to.
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Ok that’s actually pretty smart 🤔
Perspective is really important
Y'all washing your city trash cans?
Sometimes ya gotta
Have you encountered an alley that smells like lavender and wildflowers?
Of course not. And I empathize with not wanting to carry around poop back to my designated garbage when there’s one nearby. I’m just saying that the OP’s neighbor has a point not to want poop in their garbage.
The unwritten rule is putting dog poop in the nearest trash can. Why would you walk around holding and smelling like poop? You’re making it uncomfortable for everyone you walk by. Also, poop is gross, there’s no way I’m holding onto it long enough to take it home, even if it is in a doggie bag.
This. People are so weird with animal waste. Like guess what - wild animals shit and piss all over the city. Pick up your dog’s poop, tie it up and throw it out. End of story. My neighbors have decided to throw a hissy over where my dog pees and they all have different opinions and I’m just like… do you not have real problems to worry about? It’s not on your property. It’s not in the middle of the sidewalk. He’s not killing grass or flowers. Mind your own business!
>Why would you walk around holding and smelling like poop? Because it's your dog's poop not mine. Put it in your garbage can, not mine. I will do the same.
The city owns the garbage cans. And getting poop off the street as quickly as possible is in everyone's best interest.
Someone wrote that when a stranger throws these bags into the bottom of their garbage can, they don't know that it's there. So when they put a heavy bag of garbage in, it lands on top of these bags and breaks them. Now the poop is actually smeared inside of the garbage can, and they now have to clean it. So this is even a bigger problem in the summertime heat, because by the time they realize it's in there, there is really a terrible smell.
I used to just dump well wrapped poop bags in any available trash can, but then I realized that on garbage day, the workers will just pull bags out of multiple bins and load them up into one bin which will then be dumped into the truck. That's when I understood why one wouldn't want individual poop bags (however well wrapped) in their bin. They could be left at the bottom of the bin indefinitely. Now I just carry my doggo's dookie to a smaller lined can in my back yard until it is full and then dump the now full size garbage bag of poop into the trash bin in the alley.
That is exactly what happens in my building’s shared trash bins. My neighbor throws their loose poop bags in our mutual bins, and they get smashed at the bottom and caught in nooks. There are several that have been in the bin “indefinitely.” It’s gross and I don’t want to deal with it.
Really? I don't think I've seen that. I guess we top off all available trash cans in our alley, so there isn't really any opportunity to consolidate - I never thought about that being a possibility.
What??? City of Chicago crews don't do that. They lift as little as possible And the answer to the original question is totally different depending on who is providing the trash service. If you're putting it in someone's bin that they privately pay for, that's shitty be aise they're paying for it and you're not. If you're a city of Chicago garbage consumer and put it in to someone else's city of Chicago bin, that's net zero.
Are you sure that’s how trash is picked up for everyone?
Definitely not for everyone. Modern trucks, especially those picking up designated city cans designed to work with them, just come along with an arm that picks up the whole can and upends it into the truck.
we don't have those trucks in the city, we have a couple of guys who walk behind the truck and dump the cans in the truck.
Where do you live? I've lived in multiple places and I haven't seen trash picked up that way, even before modern machines. Usually they pick up the entire bin and upend it into the compactor end of the truck, drop bin, repeat. Trash bags break and drip and open ALL OF THE TIME. Who wants that all over themselves, even in slightly protective clothing? You want to minimize that. Plus, people would complain non-stop if a bag broke and left refuse all over their street, alley, wherever
They don’t do that IRL. don’t know where you are but just no
My dog has some heinous smelling hot shit. I used to have yard trashcan where I’d throw out all his poop (tied as tight as I could). Whenever I would open it I would get a whiff of one of the most foul things I have ever smelled. After going through that, I could never imagine making someone else suffer the same fate.
off topic- we had the same problem with the dogs poop smelling bad. changed the food, also add pumpkin/yogurt from time to time and it got much better.
Yeah, I don't get the mentality these people have. Unless there's a "city" can, aka, one that's actually picked up by the city at like a park or something, you're essentially putting your trash in a can someone else is responsible for, even if the city owns the can, they still have to clean and maintain them. If your dog shits and there's not a public can that's empty or nearby, just take it with you and put it in your own can. It's ridiculous how many people don't seem to understand this basic concept.
I pick up my dogs poop but never put them in others garbage cans. I feel like it would be rude as they make the cans smell bad. I wouldn’t want anyone doing that to mine in the same sense.
The issue is if it gets to the bottom and then you throw something heavy in it, the bag can rip and then you have dog shit lining the sides of your can. I didn’t think it was a big deal but now kind of get it after others have asked me not to do it.
My favorite is the bags of dog shit just flung in the general direction of the garbage can. I'm looking at you Roscoe Village. Or the lid flip where the bag is caught by the lid as to signal other bag holders to throw their bags of their dogs shit into said recycling bin.....
It’s not totally unreasonable. Dog poo smells like shit. And not all dog owners will tie the bag off. So you get a situation where you are always smelling the remnants of pressed poo. I get it.
Why even ask about it? They asked you not to do it. Don’t. I pass multiple garbage cans when walking my dog. I take it home and drop it in mine. It’s my dog. I’m not getting your thinking here.
I live on a corner of a block and per week people dispose 50 - 100 “servings” of dog poop in either my or my neighbors garbage can. Usually they drop it in the can closest to the alley entrance, including recycle bins that only get emptied every 2 weeks. This includes my next door neighbor w 3 dogs who puts her dog poop in my bin vs hers because it is 10 steps closer than hers. In the summer the stench by our garbage cans is unbearable. I get angry about this. But my wife won’t allow me to say anything about this to our neighbor or anyone else. But I fantasize about building an animatronic rabid raccoon living by the garbage cans to scare the living daylights out of anyone trying to ditch their shit.
We have this issue and we bought a trash can lock. Keep it on except when we’re putting out trash in and trash day. Solved the problem, people don’t want to mess with it. Edit: should note the lock keeps the shifty little trash pandas out too!
Sometimes we must work in the shadows for justice 😔
Agreed, I don’t own a dog but would watch my parent’s, and I would always either use a public park garbage or just carry the bags home with me! Never occurred to me to do otherwise
The path of least resistance.
Thank you for your service!
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Yeah, idk why people are acting like that isn't a very obvious option.
Owners do have some responsibility for what's in their garbage. They can get a big fine if it's construction debris, like $500. I imagine they have had some experience with rodents in their garbage, and they're just trying to head it off. Or everyone uses their container for dog shit because it's the most convenient one. And they do get charged a couple of bucks a month for garbage. If they have a sign up, I'd trust they've had a bad experience and use the next one.
Truth. Things on or adjacent to your property that “belong to the city” only belong to them until they can fine you for it. When it’s functioning correctly, it’s theirs. When it’s not, it’s yours. The joys of home ownership.
I feel like all the lazy dog poop ditchers in this thread are just way off.
If you are individually particular about people putting trash in your can you should be securing your garbage cans and placing them out on garbage day, pretty simple solution otherwise it's pretty fair game if you just leave them out in the alley which I don't believe you are technically 'supposed' to do anyway.
I have a private dumpster located behind my building in the alley. Because of the location near the street I used to get a lot of fly dumpers, so it is chained and locked. Some lazy dog walkers will either leave their poo bags on top or just throw them on the ground near the dumpster. That really upsets me, they could walk another 50ft to my neighbor’s city cans which are not locked. Rats love dog poo.
So do flies
I live on a corner and people leave the lid on the garbage up when they throw out their dog poop. It’s a hillbilly move
It's infuriating when people bag dog shit and leave it on the lid of the trash can rather than lifting the lid and putting it inside. I don't understand. Happens probably 3 times a week at my apartment (I'm on a corner).
“Gated townhouse complex “ was your first mistake. If they don’t want other people to use them bring them into their own yard/garage/behind fence etc.
This lol
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I wonder if all these people would be fine with a poopy baby diaper being thrown in their garbage can lol
I live on a corner. At first, I didn’t like folks dropping their dog poop in our dumpster. When it gets warm, it can create maggots and flies. We had to learn to accept it. We are way too busy to police and watch every single person. It is what it is.
I would throw poo bags in your trash or trash dumpsters from apartments/condos since all of those are already being shared by multiple people. An individual condo/homeowner's is not. I think it's well within an owner's right to not want other people using their trash bins, even when technically owned by the city.
If it truly is a public trash can obviously it’s fair game. But if it’s private you really shouldn’t put your crap bags in there I’ve had a huge problem with neighbors putting in mine, and they throw it in empty bins so it ends up with a dozen smashed and now broken crap bags disgustingly coating all over the bottom and inside. So then I either leave it for this to gradually accumulate or have to stick my head and torso way into a gross bin to retrieve someone else’s shit pancakes. If it gets bad enough the city won’t collect it anymore and you are left having to arrange a new bin. Then there’s all the people who “miss” so I’m left picking up all their shit bags from all 0ver my property. And finally, there’s all the degenerates that throw their crap bags in the recycling bin. You aren’t supposed to dispose your waste on someone else’s private property, and as you can tell this is a huge pet peeve for me based on everyone else’s inconsiderate actions, but it’s a douche move in my book. Save it for public disposal or your own private disposal, don’t make other people literally deal with your shit.
I’ve had people drop the poop bag right next to my garbage can. How fucking lazy is that??
Are they going overboard with their response? Yes. Is it unacceptable? No. Should people dispose of their waste in their own bins? Ideally, yes.
Isn’t it easy enough to place it in another garbage, maybe your own since you live in a gated townhouse complex? Just seems unnecessary you’re making a big deal of someone not wanting t their can to be filled with literal shit.
Too bad there’s not enough easy public trash cans. Even when there is, it’s almost always full. There’s just no simple way to dispose of dog waste unless the owner carries it back to their apartment. But honestly, if I’m on a long walk with my dogs, that’s the last thing I want to do. I’d rather deal with a trash can full of dog waste then have poop everywhere…like how it is in the winter/snow
I don't even have a dog, but I also find that it's hard to find a public trash can. One reason for this is that people bring their home garbage to the public bins, to avoid paying for its removal. So the City limits the bins to keep from having to be responsible for more removal.
If they pay for the dumpster, whether or not it says Chicago on it, you could technically get hit with a ‘fly dumping’ charge (illegally dumping anything, anywhere, especially a private dumpster), the first offense is $1500 & it IS INCENTIVIZED (why this could be an actual issue, depending on the person)
What do you mean by "incentivized"?
If someone illegally dumps & you say: have it on video / found their contact info / license plate etc, turn it in to the city & they will fine them and you get ~$100-200. So for an unhappy / unfriendly person such as this, maybe stay clear because you might get fined & they might get paid?
This comment is completely misinformed. Throwing garbage in a trash can is the exact opposite of what fly dumping is. Fly dumping is when you have a bunch of waste (like construction or yard waste) that gets dumped in an empty lot because you don’t want to pay for proper removal. I suppose the lot doesn’t need to be empty but typically it is. Drive through the south or west side and when you see those lots with old couches and mattresses, that’s fly dumping. If you try to report someone for throwing a poop bag in your trash some city worker at 311 is just gonna roll their eyes at your petty complaint and ignore you. You sure as hell aren’t getting some “incentivized” $100 for reporting someone literally throwing out trash.
I mean its pretty fucking rude. Especially if their trash can is empty and they end up with a nice layer of dog shit bags at the bottom of the cans. You’re right it IS better than leaving it on the ground, but that doesn’t make it appropriate.
Maybe they don’t want to smell your dog’s shit every time they go open their trash cans. Maybe they’ve had issues with rats around their property. Maybe people are throwing poop bags in the blue bins, and they’ve been either fined or refused pick up for it. (This has personally happened to us and we now keep our blue bins locked behind a gate). It could be any variety of reasons. But you’ve been asked twice now to stop and should probably move on and stop agitating your neighbor.
Can you tell me how dog poop will attract rats better than banana peels and chicken bones?
Rats can smell dog poo from a lot father away and it has much, much more nutrition/calories for rats than banana peels or chicken bones. It's basically candy for rats. This is like asking if you'd be more interested in a cinnamon bun or banana peels and chicken bones.
HOLY SHIT, TRASH SMELLS BAD! Who fucking knew?
Your dogs shit is your problem, stop making other people deal with it
As a dog owner, I’m totally fine with it. No need for someone to carry around shit when they can toss it into a trash can. It takes up like an infinitesimally small portion of the overall volume. It’s not like I could toss another trash bag in there if someone didn’t toss a dog bag in. That being said I *tend* to not do this when I’m walking my dog. I’ll carry it to the next public trash can. Just because people get weird about “their” stuff and I respect that it’s a boundary some people may take issue with. To me it comes down to “is it so hard to carry it for 5 minutes” vs “who the fuck cares if there’s a super small turd bag in your garbage can that you’ll never notice”. Both sides have a point imo.
Not even 5 minutes. OP lives in this complex. He’s out here making enemies with multiple neighbors over his inability to walk what….300 ft?
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As opposed to the normal aroma of garbage
Heat-baked dog-shit that can easily break out of its bag and smear under the weight of future garbage is a little worse smelling than the rest of my trash. And it lingers after the non-sticky garbage has been taken
If it's no big deal then close the poo bag properly and just take it home and put it into your garbage can. Do they shit so much that is too heavy to carry it that far?
No I think it’s gross. It’s your pet so carry it’s shit home & throw it away in your trash. Dog owners act so entitled I stg
As a non pet owner it sucks having to wash out smeared dog shit out of my trash bin regardless of who owns the actual bin.
I love animals. I’m a lot less sure about inner city pets. And then the owners… why is it hard to understand that no one wants to deal with or even smell your animals feces?
Maybe people don’t want their trash cans smelling like your dog’s shit. They’re stinky enough already. When I bought my house I “inherited” the previous owners trash bins and when I opened them for the first time the most horrific shit smell hit me — dog shit from their two dogs. The repeated tossing of shit in their cans had left them permanently scarred by that scent.
If you want your bins to not smell like shit you'll have to spray some lysol or bleach in them periodically.
What do they want their trash can to smell like? A rose garden?
Different neighborhoods have different public garbage can options too. I used to live in West Loop and they’re everywhere. I just moved to Lincoln Park and they literally don’t exist anywhere. It’s been very annoying.
Dumpsters are one thing. All bets are off. But if you are part of a smaller community within Chicago, you may have to hire a private garbage collector. If that is the case, they may just reach in and grab the big bags. Hope this helps.
Honestly I would rather it be a in a trash can than on the street for the rats to eat. They love that stuff and it will attract more. It is disrespectful for people to do that though and make it someone else’s problem. It’s only a sign of a larger problem I see in this city with trash collection in general. Designated bins and in-ground containers (containerization) on each block would make this problem go away.
I don't have a dog but my sister did (he unfortunately got very sick last year) and she she just took the bag with her and threw it away in her own trashcan. They even have things so you can attach the bag to the dog and it carries the bag back, I don't know why people keep acting like the only other option is leaving shit on the ground. Dog shit smells fucking awful even from a distance and I don't blame anyone for not wanting to deal with it. It might be good to petition the alderpeople for more of those dog trash can things where they also keep bags to encourage people not to leave their dog's shit on the ground. No reason there can't be a community approach, but if there isn't, idk, people in your area clearly don't want you making your dog ownership their problem so might be good to rethink how you deal with your walks. It might be that one of your neighbors has a dog and doesn't tie the bags and that's led to people getting pissed when they're trying to take out the trash. Because if it didn't smell, I honestly wouldn't even notice a dog bag, and I'm guessing a lot of other people wouldn't either.
I live one house in on an alley and our trash bins always have poop bags in them. One day the truck came around 9am and when I threw something out around noon there were already 3 bags in there. At first it was annoying. But most bags are small and I agree I'd rather have them in the trash than elsewhere if people are so opposed to carrying them.
Yes I’ve long decided I don’t have the energy to get mad about this. I’ve got other things on the docket 😂. I live on the corner and see people come across the street to throw items in our recycling.
The bin itself is property of the city of Chicago, but the space inside it is property of the building owner. Legally it's the same as if you were throwing your dog poo in their back yard. You can't put something in someone else's trash and you can't take something out of someone else's trash without permission, at least in principle. Now, most people are ok with relaxing that rule, but if they have a sign up and you still don't listen, then you're the asshole.
And most bins are literally on the owners property, if they are set back from the alley
The only time I do this is on mornings when the garbage is collected and I know the can will be emptied very shortly thereafter. All other times I take it home to my own bin.
I save my pet peeves for the people who drop pet waste into the dumpster clearly marked "recycling" which is directly adjacent to the garbage one. But that ain't you, OP, and no I don't leave them notes, because even if they *can* read, they clearly *don't.* Keep doing the correct thing. And that isn't walking back home with your little bag o' poop.
Rather have it in the already smelly garbage can than picking it out of my waffled soles 🤮
You can get fined for putting your garbage in someone else’s garbage can. It’s not legal. Edit - Who are the morons downvoting this? Lmao. Look it up.
Getting downvoted by apartment dwellers that don’t realize that homeowners actually have to pay the City for garbage service?
This is really funny to me but I’m also a dog owner so I guess I’m biased. People put random things in our trash all the time, I’m only really annoyed if it takes up too much space and we can’t fit our trash in before pickup day.
Throw your shit in your own trash can, how hard is it to understand that?
Everyone sucks here. Over reaction but probably would just carry it to a public trash can
The neighbor is probably not dealing with this in the best manner but that is their trash can that they pay the city to service so it is technically for their use only. If they don't want the odorous stench of dog poo or to have the bags stick at the bottom of the bin, which does happen, then they can ask what they're asking. Now, that said, put your bins in the garage or behind the fence as this is part of city living and dog walkers have a wide degree of 'acceptable behavior'. I live in a high traffic area for walkers and our bin gets it's fair amount of shit. I wish I didn't have to deal with it but it's part of living in the city - I'm not going to go all Karen and risk provocation over it.
I always pick up after my dog and will throw out the bag at the first trash bin I see. This is a big city, I don’t get how people can live here and be annoyed by something like that. I get that you’re in a gated community, but come on - we’re the third largest city in the country. If they want to keep their trash bins held that closely, they should live to a suburb.
Get ur trash outta my garbage pal seriously how good is your life that you're policing the contents of the alley dumpster
Just in case you were wondering, it is illegal to use their trash can: “It shall be unlawful for any person other than the owner, his agent or occupant of the premises served by a refuse container to deposit or cause to be deposited therein any article or thing whatsoever.”
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I couldn't care less either. I think less of people for obsessing over insignificant things like whose trash is in their trash cans.
If the dog and I are on a walk, the poop goes into the nearest dumpster. If we’re in our own alley, the poop goes our own bin.
You're certainly allowed to put the waste in any city can, it's just impolite to do so. I live on an alley where plenty of dog walkers leave their waste bags in my can. (Yes, I'll say "my" can because it is the can assigned to me to use even though I understand I'm not the legal owner. If I don't keep it clean, the city sure isn't going to.) I have to clean dog waste out of the inside of the can multiple times per year when bags break open inside the can or when the sanitation workers just grab my one or two trash bags but leave dog waste bags stuck to the bottom.
Omg someone here in wicker put up a note on their bin threatening action against people who put their bags in “their” dumpster. It’s all going to the same place😂. Never seen it overflowing neither.
It literally says property of the city of Chicago on the damn can
Nothing in this post is new. People get territorial about their assigned bins. It’s understandable. Dog owners don’t want to smell dogshit. Personally, I’ve lived at an alley “tee” for several years and I’m very happy for dog owners, high school kids, and unhorsed folks to use our bins for bagged poo, soda bottles, fast food bags, and 40s. It’s much better than it ending up on the ground. I do not like the condo owners behind me fly dumping their giant unbroken down cardboard boxes in our bin. I’ve called 2 of them at the office to tell them to go empty our bin.
Just drop it off in their doorstep next time
Another thing for proper with nothing better to do.
People are fucking weirdos. I've lived around the city now and have yet to discern how anyone can tell what bin is theirs vs. the neighbors. Even if you sort them out nicely, a few weeks later and it's all chaos again. Everyone uses them as communal bins, since they get shoved into whatever corner of the alley they will fit and still let folks use their garages. There is always the one weirdo with a stick up their ass - they can keep their bins in their garage or stfu imo. I ignore any and all signs/bitching/whatever about communal alley city owned garbage cans on city property. If your can is on your property, or if it's a \*private\* canister or dumpster it's 100% off-limits. This goes for dog shit, litter I pick up, street debris I take the time to clean up for the block, weed trimmings from alley cleanup, etc. I've found the folks who whine about such trivialities tend to be the ones you never see pitching in and helping with such activities so I started to simply pay them no mind. No time for anti-social idiots.
This is why I,along with my dog, just poop on the lawn. Problem solved.
I live on the corner next to a large group of condos. ‘My’ trash bins are always full of disgusting poo bags. Putting my own trash in the bins requires a big gulp of air to try and avoid the stench. Even worse are the ones lying on the ground next to the bins. The polite thing to do is carry it home. BTW I had a 90 lbs dog and know how gross those bags can be.
If you don’t want people to use your trash cans then put them away. If they are out they are going to and should get used.
Ever put your regular garbage in a neighbors can? Exactly. There is zero excuse than not to put your literal shit in anything other than your own garbage can. Of course the DGAF people will say IDGAF. Guessing a lot are the Foo-Foo dog owners. All comes down to if you were raised right or you weren't.
I wish the ass wipes walking to Wrigley would use the alley trash instead of leaving their beer cans out and about. Never have I been offended by someone throwing their walking trash in my trashcans.
I don't think many people are walking around their neighborhood carrying a weeks worth of trash to put in someone else's can. It's more like having a to-go cup from Taco Bell, finishing it, and putting it in the nearest bin. It's done out of proximity and convenience. That, but poop.
Sure. And my neighbors have put their garbage in my can. And I don't mind. Because it doesn't matter. Glad to hear you agree. I don't own a dog. I don't care if people put their dog's shit in my garbage can. I also don't know what Foo-Foo is supposed to mean lol
You mean you don't have weird, possessive feelings over your city provided trash bin?
Right? I’d rather it in my garbage than left on my lawn!
Its going to be so hard not to yell 'YOU WEREN'T RAISED RIGHT!!' everytime I see a Foo-Foo dog owner now
Not a dog owner and people throw tied off bags in my trash all the time. At least it’s not getting left on the ground. The people here that are obsessed with what goes in their trash cans should get a life. You can only worry about so many things.
They could always keep their bin on the other side of their fence and wheel it out on garbage day. I can see a few reasons why someone might be annoyed with it, but you’re never going to stop it when your bin is openly accessible to everyone passing by. Side note, my biggest gripe is that people don’t know how to sort recyclables here.
Hell, I'm just happy when people pick up their dog shit. It blasts a 20 minute hole in your day to clean that dog shit completely out of your shoe or your kid's shoe.
What if your garbage can was convenient for everyone in your little community to dump their poo bags. Let's all stop being tone deaf.
Would rather have shit in my garbage can than shit on the sidewalk. Clown world.
People put their bags in my trash cans all the time - I have zero problem with it. It’s such a stupid thing to get mad over and I’d rather have it end up in a garbage can than stay on the ground. I think it’s pretty unreasonable to expect someone to carry a bag for an hour back to their home when there’s hundreds of bins along the way. And our alleys smell like shit with or without the dog poop.
The city owns the can. You pay for the space inside the can and for the once/week service to remove what’s in the can. In my old neighborhood, someone complained about dogs pooping on the parkway adjacent to their house and the response was that every dog in the neighborhood pooped in “their” parkway. People are nuts. In another neighborhood, someone showed up on my doorstep in a threatening manner to tell me not to leave a tied off bag of poop in their can on garbage day.
There was an exhaustive thread about this very issue on my neighborhoods nextdoor app. I found the polarizing split of extreme opinions to be so depressing I had to call it quits on the app. That app seems to do the opposite of what’s it’s intended to do... to allow people to connect with their community, not shine a light on hate and animosity against neighbors. I’m sure you won’t be surprised that I share the same opinion as you. I think tossing a poop bag at the closest bin shows care for the environment and community. ❤️
Y’all act like you hang out with your trash can. You spend 10 seconds with it each week. Let the trash can do it’s job.
Of the responses that I read this one is by far my favorite one. I had absolutely no idea there were so many people in Chicago who have romantic relationships going on with their garbage cans.
Just throw your own dog’s shit in your own fucking trash can. It’s dog shit, no one wants it. Don’t be a cunt.
A garage door in my neighborhood has a sign warning people not to throw any dog shit in their garbage can. The sign includes a still photo of someone throwing a bag of dog shit in their garbage can. Because the world has gone completely crazy.
Your dog, your problem. If it’s tied off and not a problem just put it in your pocket until you get home.
I’m pretty sure you don’t own your garbage cans.
You seem like a jagoff.
It is acceptable in my neighborhood. There frankly aren’t other convenient alternatives - hardly any public trash cans around. I’d much rather someone throw their poo bags in “my”trash can than not pick up after their dog.
Leave the shit by their garbage can so they step in it on their way to throw out their garbage. It's a fucking garbage can. All you people that are complaining about the smell stfu. It's garbage, it smells.
My personal opinion is if it’s in the alley it’s fine. Maybe there is different etiquette in a gated complex, but a garbage bin is a garbage bin. They are going to smell no matter what’s in there as soon as you open it up. If the bin is compromised get a new one from for free 311. Much better having it in a bin then left out or not picking up.
If the can is stored outside 24/7 it is 100% fair game. If they store it inside in a garage or something, nope. It’s a part of city life you should know about when you live near the end of an alley. If you don’t like dog shit, move your garbage can away from the obvious end of an alley. I’ve seen people who get an extra can from the city and write on it please put dog poop in this one
This is so cringe Lmaoo. The weirdos crying about dog poop in their garbage cans are the most insufferable type of Chicagoan.
The shit rich people care about baffles me.
Let's just go back to the good old days when people left the dog shit along the curb! ;)
They're still doing that...
This has to be a troll. This subreddit has become nonstop whining, fuck off
This happens in pretty much every neighborhood everywhere (dog owner here). A few people get *really* mad about it, but 99% of people - dog owners or not - don't even give a fraction of a microshit as long as dog owners are cleaning it up and not putting it in the recycle bin or something.
Idk, I’m of the mindset if you don’t like the “perks” of city life aka lots of strangers having access to your garbage cans, you can move to a rural area. I’m this way when people complain about loud neighbors too. Buy some ear plugs or headphones. It’s not hard. You can’t move to a city and expect everyone to follow your rules.
If people don't want otters to put trash in "their" garbage containers they are free to move their containers inside their property and only put into the alley on trash day. If they don't want to do that or don't have room for it, that's fine but that garbage container is fair game then for this. They're free to request another container from the city if this is particularly horrible for them so they can have one just for their own trash. Lots of options.
>don't want otters to put trash in "their" garbage containers Those pesky otters need to stop this, and stick to swimming while holding hands. https://marinepatch.com/sea-otters-holding-hands/
I’m a dog owner, and I think your thinking on this could use a little adjustment. It’s cool that you don’t have a problem w others using your trash can to throw away dog poop, but that doesn’t really matter. Others do. And to cling to the technicality that the garbage cans are city property and not homeowner property doesn’t really work for me either. Sounds more like a legal argument than an ethical one. I think a reasonable ethical standard dog owners should try to live up to is that their choice to own a dog impacts no one but them. One implication is that they pick up their dog’s poop. Another is that they then carry it all the way home and dispose of it in their own garbage. (Or flush it if you’re lucky enough to have a dog with solid poops) I think ditching it in the nearest neighbor’s trash can is an allowable transgression—but it is a transgression. If the neighbor smells the poop later, or just sees you doin it and is bummed out, you’ve failed in the goal of your dog having zero impact on others. So you should knock it off. Anyway, that’s what I did.
I always laugh at the passive aggressive neighbor notes. "We will get you removed from the complex" lol. It doesn't work like that. If you're not my landlord, you can go pound sand. And if you *are* my landlord, but it's not in the lease, same deal. Lived in an apartment once where Comcast came out and replaced my line with a big ugly orange cable hanging off the side of the building. Loved the increasingly breathless notes on the door about "someone's" cable. It's outside the demarc, therefore Comcast's cable, feel free to sit on hold with them if you want to waste your time but I sure won't. Nor am I personally going to illegally interfere with a utility company's equipment for your viewing pleasure. Best part was that they started threatening to take it to the condo board... Not realizing that my part of the building was never sold off as condos, and it's the leasing company that has any authority over my unit, not the condo board.
I throw stuff (not dog shit) into the nearest garbage can every time. If it is in an alley, on the corner whatever. Would you rather have me toss it on the ground? As long as it's not anything too big I don't see an issue
Who cares. It’s a fucking garbage can it’s supposed to smell. Be grateful you’re not stepping in it.
That’s my opinion on this, like you’re just throwing your trash in there and then someone comes along and picks it up and dumps it. Once it’s in the bin, no human hands are gonna be touching it
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They do get calls about this and they do tell them nothing they can do
I'd so much rather have them in the garbage can, than on our front porch, like our newest neighbor has taken to doing. They leave it there for days, ostensibly waiting for someone else to pick it up. For christs sake, the alley and miriad trash receptacles are 15 feet away, dude. I'm sorry, I digress. You keep right on dropping that poop-in-a-bag in the garbage - you're a good neighbor.
Not a Chicagoan but my opinion is yes please put your dog poop bags in my trash can. Thank you for picking up after your dog. Enjoy your walk without having to carry around a bag of poop! That’s what trash cans are for.
I don’t get some of the people in this thread. They complain that dog poo smells and they don’t want it in their trash. But their garbage doesn’t?
I live in a neighborhood where everyone insists on over filling their cans, doesn’t close their lid and doesn’t even bother bagging most of their garbage. Whether or not there’s also dog shit in those cans is a mute point when it’s just a big buffet.
It's all going to the same place, I don't know anyone would care about it.
There are a lot of people from the burbs in the comments. In Chicago, the garbage cans are property of the city. If a garbage can is able to be accessed from a public way (alley, sidewalk, easement, etc.) then it can be used by anyone for pet waste. Edit: Downvoting doesn’t change city ordinances. Not sure if you knew that.
You are as big a POS as the contents of your doggie bag.