You be the judge: should my housemates bring the bins in?

The prosecution: Mohammed

If the bins are left out for ages, our neighbours don’t like it and random people chuck rubbish in

I’ve known Ben and Roisin since university. We all live together now and get on, but there’s one issue that keeps coming up: the bins.

We live in a split-level maisonette, and have an unspoken system with our upstairs neighbours, a couple in their 40s who’ve lived here longer than any of us. We share a back garden and two wheelie bins. They put the bins in front of our building before collection day, and I bring them back in. That’s the deal, and it’s worked for years.

But when I’m away working – I do event rigging, so I’m often gone for stretches – Ben and Roisin let the whole system fall apart. They don’t bring the bins back in, which causes friction with the neighbours. Sometimes, they don’t even take our rubbish out on time, so it builds up as we only get our bins collected every two weeks.

Our neighbours get annoyed and I don’t blame them. They’ve moved the bins back themselves a few times, but they shouldn’t have to. Roisin and Ben need to stick to the unspoken rules. They walk past the bins, strewn all over the road, on their way to work. It doesn’t seem to bother them. But when our bins are left out front, random people start chucking their rubbish in. By the time we want to use them, they’re already half-full with other people’s dog poo and takeaway cartons.

Roisin doesn’t really deal with the bins. She says it’s a “man’s job”, so I talk to Ben more about this. However, he often misses the collection as he puts the rubbish out late, after the truck’s been. Then it sits in the big bins and starts to smell. In the summer, the smells and the flies were a big problem. Our neighbours once asked me if we could be more considerate and not fill the bins up after missing the collection, which is never my fault.

I think it’s reasonable to want to keep the peace with our neighbours. They’re not being petty, they just want a tidy street. The system works when I’m around because I make the effort. When I’m away, the whole thing goes Pete Tong. Ben needs to step up and take the bins in on time.

The defence: Ben

Rubbish belongs in the bin, and bins belong in the street. Mo is making a fuss over nothing

Mo loves to talk about this bin “system” like it’s a sacred law, but they’re bins; they belong in the street and they belong to the council. We don’t need to get into a tizz about all this.

If the bins stay out a bit longer, I don’t see why that’s such a scandal. Every street has bins sitting around. Mo says the neighbours give him dirty looks, but who cares? He made himself the go-between with them, I didn’t. I don’t need to build my life around whether a couple in their 40s think I’ve pulled a wheelie bin back fast enough. If it bothers them so much, they can move the bins themselves.

Mo and Roisin have lived together since uni, and I moved in a year ago. I am tidy and respectful, but I work in finance and don’t have the time to worry about the bins. If strangers chuck rubbish in our bin, who cares? That’s what bins are for. Better for it to be in there than dumped on the pavement.

Mo acts like my behaviour is a personal attack, but the bins get emptied every two weeks anyway. When our neighbour said something to him about not letting our rubbish sit in the bins for weeks, Mo apologised. I wouldn’t have, because it’s not illegal. Mo cares too much what people think.

I’m not deliberately sabotaging collections, but as the newest flatmate I’m not used to the schedule yet. If I walk past the bins and don’t put them back in our garden, it’s not deliberate – I’m just preoccupied. As Roisin refuses to touch the bin, the responsibility falls on me when Mo is away, and I just forget. If the rubbish waits until the next round, I don’t think it’s a very big deal.

What Mo really cares about is appearances: he likes looking like a good boy to our neighbours and our landlord. Fair enough, that’s his thing, but I don’t think that should become such a burden. If I take the rubbish out a week late, I shouldn’t be made to feel bad – at least I’m taking it out.

In my view, Mo is overreacting. He’s a good flatmate, but at the end of the day, they’re just bins. If they sit out for an extra day or two, life goes on.

The jury of Guardian readers

Whose argument will you bin?

It seems Mo is kind and thoughtful; sadly the same cannot be said for his flatmates. We are all busy but that doesn’t mean we’re “too important” to put the bins out. Maybe a schedule would help? Mo needs to get his flatmates into a routine, so it’s not such a shock when he’s away and they have to put the bins out for themselves.
Louise, 51

If everyone behaved like Ben, our neighbourhoods would be strewn with bins. Mo’s request for occasional cover for bin duties is not unreasonable. Living in split maisonettes requires this type of cooperation and compromise, and is neighbourly and low effort.
Ade, 38

Ben is being a tad inconsiderate. Taking the bins out doesn’t take long enough for working in finance to be a valid excuse, and he could make more of an effort. Roisin should step up too.
Olivia, 21

Living with others means sharing the load even when it’s not convenient. The bin system contributes to a peaceful and harmonious relationship with the neighbours, and to general tidiness and hygiene. Ben needs to step up instead of just enjoying the benefits of Mo’s efforts.
Catherine, 41

It seems such a minor price to pay for good relations with close neighbours. I’d have loved to have heard from Roisin, too, as all three could do with a discussion about men’s and women’s jobs in the 21st century. They sound like Theresa and Philip May!
Mick, 32

Now you be the judge

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The poll closes on Wednesday 22 October at 9am BST

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You be the judge - live! As part of a special Guardian Live event on Wednesday 26 November, Georgina Lawton will be hosting an IRL version of this column. Join writers including Tim Dowling and Meera Sodha for an evening of Guardian culture, hosted by Nish Kumar. Live in London or via livestream, book tickets here.