I am getting really sick and tired of my garbage being picked through. I mean the bags are ripped open with everything loose in the bin. What a mess, and an invasion of privacy.

I work all day so I don't see who is doing this. Has anyone noticed? Especially in the alley behind 40th Street. What the heck are they looking for, anyways?

Shouldn't this be illegal? I guess I can pull my garbage bin inside my fence, but it seems so stupid that I have to worry about this stupidity.

By 40th Street

This has happened to me too

I have posted complaints on this issue in the late summer/early fall. I had this happen to me several times. What really ticked me off was one of my garbage bags was filled with cat litter. Well that was until someone riped open the bag, emptied all the contents in the container and took the bag. I believe it is one of the many people who go around and collect cans. They run out of bags so they take what is available.

By MzPiggski

Mine too

I do not mind if they take the cans I just hate it when they smack my garage with the lid of the garbage can. My drain tube/ that aluminum tube that comes off the roof of the garage (at a lost for words right now is dented and split.


By Janet

I don't see the harm...

I don't agree with the practice but unless you are throwing away personal information, which as EVERYONE knows should be shredded first, or they are damaging your garage or gutter down spouts, then what's the real harm? Our garabge cans are full of garbage. Unwanted refuss we don't need or want. It stinks in summer, freezes in winter no matter how tightly bagged it is. And it still leaks all over the inside of the cans. You still have got to clean them every so often anyway. And unless your digging around in your own garbage, the only ones it might matter to are the garbage persons. And I have never gotten a nasty letter from them because a bag has been torn or loose garbage is in there. They don't put their hands in it either. So if a bag gets opened, and garbage and kitty litter is left loose in the can, what is the difference? The garbage people don't care. They don't have to touch it so...
Janet has a good claim because damage is being done to her garage. And if 40th street is leaving unshredded personal papers in there, well DON'T do that! When we first moved here, we had no garage so I put the cans as close to the house as possible. You know what happened? They came into my yard, right up to the house and dug through it anyway. Short of putting the cans or leaving the garbage in the house and lugging it and them out to the alley on pick up day, not to mention never knowing for sure when that is becasue it changes and is interruppted by weather, I figure I am stuck. So I ALWAYS shred the stuff I think is invasive to my privacy as everyone should do anyway, and I live with it. Phone calls won't make it go away. I tried and well, no one in the city is gonna sit out there and shoo them away for us so...
Janet, you have a real issue but again, I have no idea how to help or what to tell you. Short of moving them some where else, which I know I can't do either, all I can say is maybe a protective covering of some sort where they do bump the downspout. So...
And yes, I know it sucks but there are just some things that just ain't gonna happen.

By John W.