garbage in, garbage out

our property abuts against a long block property that faces an adjacent street.  those neighbors were pickles to live with, as they rarely mowed their grass during the summer (the owner claimed he didn't have time as he worked as an emergency responder 90 hours a week.  however, there were [rumoured to be] ten people living in that house, and apparently none of them knew how to operate a lawn mower).  they also owned a dumpster that sat in the alley behind their house (and behind ours).

in the fall, the property went on the market and the people moved out.  we have no idear where they moved to, but their presence was still felt in the neighborhood as they kept putting garbage in their dumpster.  by thanksgiving, the dumpster looked like this: 

after weeks of looking like this (and actually growing by the week) i took pictures of the mess (along with scattered pieces of mail on the ground, of which included premium information from the lycoming county fair and credit card and household bill information - clearly these people didn't believe in shredding personal financial information) and i took the pictures to the borough office and complained that the dumpster wasn't being dumped on a weekly basis and that the pile of garbage was growing by the week.  the code enforcement officer assured me that they would deal with the situation, but i was dubious as the owner was a public worker and would probably curry favor and not do anything about it.

a week later the dumpster appeared empty on garbage day, but when i walked the kiddos to school, discovered that the owner stuffed the bags into the dumpster and weighed the lid down with cinder blocks.  out of sight out of mind?  hardly.

as months passed the dumpster sat stuffed to the gills, and week after week i'd watch the garbage truck (the same one that picked up our garbage) drive by.  we assumed that the owner didn't pay the garbage bill, and that garbage collection wouldn't pick it up if it wasn't getting paid (although hubby and i wondered why the company didn't want their dumpster back).

a couple weeks ago we woke on garbage day and found this.  a week later, someone braced this pile with a two by four and nylon cording.  at this point i was livid - the pile was threatening to fall into the street - and who does this?!!!  when the garbage pile is this high, it's time to call the bloody garbage man!


two weeks later this sign appeared:


(i so wanted to add at the bottom since last fall - PAY YOUR DAMN BILL!) but was afraid of getting caught.  i was already afraid that i'd be identified as the original snitch).

the next day was garbage day, and we happened to see our garbage man driving down the alley.  another neighbor happened to be outside waiting for a ride to work, and as they were picking up his garbage he commented on the dumpster.  they read the sign, and the driver got on his phone - i'm assuming with their office - and i saw him laugh as he gestured to the other garbage man to help him move the dumpster into the street so they could dump it in the truck.  i really wish i could have opened the windows to listen to what they were saying, but we were getting ready for school and eavesdropping is rude.  i swear i heard the angels sing that day and was so relieved that the darn dumpster was finally empty.

brief joy.  guess what was stuffed to the gills last week?  thank goodness it disappeared on garbage day.  we still don't know how one household can generate so much garbage.  we're guessing they are cleaning out the house they're selling (maybe that's why it hasn't sold yet?  it's full of junk?  and who wants to buy a house full of junk?)  or are they bringing their garbage from their new house (who does that?!  why not have garbage pickup at the new house?!)

people.  i'll never understand them.