Ask Amy special: We're talking trash

November 09, 2005|By Amy Dickinson


Q. Are trash cans in the alley fair game? Can I throw a handful of candy wrappers in a stranger's bin? How about a bag of dog poop?

A. An episode of "Curb Your Enthusiasm" busted this issue wide open when Larry David tossed an apple core into a person's garbage can as he was walking past. The neighbor angrily confronted him, and hilarity ensued. Unfortunately, in real life, hilarity seldom ensues. While it is OK to toss a candy wrapper into a garbage can (make sure the coast is clear before tossing), it is not OK to toss your doggie business into a personal trash can.

Q. On the night before garbage pickup day, if our receptacles are full, I slip a bag of garbage or recyclables into my neighbors'. She lives alone and never fills her container. Is that ethical?

A. The garbage can, even when provided by the waste hauling company, sits on your neighbor's property and is intended for her use alone. Garbage cans (and the garbage in them) are the homeowner's property until the cans' contents are dumped into the truck and hauled away. If you want to piggyback onto your neighbor's receptacle, you really should ask first.

Q. Our neighbors have a backboard and rim nailed to their garage so their kids can play hoops. But the incessant dribbling and shouting make it feel as if I'm working in the United Center during NBA season. Is there a solution, or am I doomed to hoops hell?

A. You can ask your neighbors to create a reasonable curfew for their kids' hoops playing, mainly to let them know that the basketball playing is creating something of a disturbance for you. However, there is plenty that you can also do to block out this noise -- noise-canceling or iPod earphones, for instance. In the scheme of things, basketball bouncing, though annoying, should be appreciated as part of the soundtrack of your neighborhood. I would venture a guess that this noise might even be missed once it was gone.

Q. Our neighbors, the Relentless Green Couple, have a big compost heap next to the alley and we've seen critters scurrying in and out of it. What should we do?

A. Your neighbor could be causing a serious critter infestation, which would take heaps of poison to eradicate -- thus erasing the "green" effects of composting. No one in an urban area should have an open composting bin for this very reason. Closed composting systems are inexpensive, effective and faster than open systems. You should suggest this to your neighbor. If the problem continues, call the city.

Q. When someone puts up a basketball hoop, can anyone play there? Do you have to ask? What if you aren't a neighbor?

A. Anything attached to a person's house or garage or placed at the edge of a private lawn -- whether a basketball hoop, hammock or a clothesline-- is personal property. Would you lie in your neighbor's hammock or hang your clothes from his clothesline? (Hint: The answer is no.) The basketball hoop should be out of bounds to all but the family and invited guests.

Q. If you see a useful item set out in the alley on trash day, is it OK to take it without asking?

A. Of course. Everybody knows that items set out in the alley's public space on trash day are fair game for enterprising neighbors, unless a sign posted on the item informs people otherwise. This is how I ended up with my neighbor's ex-mother-in-law's hi-fi system. If you happen to see the neighbor while you are dragging her nubby brown davenport across the alley, by all means ask to make sure it is OK.

Q. The morning after a big snow, my across-the-alley neighbor gets up early and snowblows the area around his garage, blowing much of the snow onto my side of the alley. When I finally get around to shoveling, I toss as much of it as I can back to his side, in front of his garage. I know this is wrong, but if feels so good.

A. Well, if it feels good, then by all means, do it. Just don't give yourself a coronary. You might think that in a situation such as this, he who snoozes, loses, but the way I see it your neighbor actually faces two bouts of snow clearing -- early in the morning and then again after you have shoveled the snow back onto this patch. You only shovel once. Of course, if you don't work out some accommodation, the same mound of snow will just get pushed back and forth in a Sisyphean exercise in snow dominance. And how good does that feel? Simply ask your neighbor to do his best to blow the excess snow into an area where it won't impede other drivers (perhaps across a different neighbor's garage).