Resident baffled after discovering neighbor's disturbing actions outside their window: 'How's that even allowed?'

A new homeowner's off-putting discovery that their neighbor had been dumping cat litter and trash out of their window for months invoked horror from the r/mildlyinfuriating subreddit.

"The other night I woke up to a noise by my window," the user said. "I look out and noticed this massive pile of cat litter. I've complained to the landlord but they haven't done anything yet."

The post included a photo of a pile of cat litter and trash. The original poster later added that they had called and emailed the landlord to no avail.

"How's that even allowed?" asked one commenter.

"That's disgusting," another said.

Living next to those who don't share the same environmental concerns can cause heightened tension in communities. It also builds barriers to a seamless transition to green initiatives. While it can be annoying, there are ways to compromise and collaborate with neighbors to make coexisting comfortable and healthy for everyone.

One way to spark solutions is by asking for advice from others. Reddit is full of stories about living next to neighbors with differing views. For every post asking for advice, there are dozens of comments on how to better the situation.

"[Report it] to the city and the city will allow the opportunity for the landlord to make reasonable adjustments in a very formal statement," wrote one user. "The city is really great at responding to some of these things because it can result in fines for the landlord as well as the person doing this."

Littering in this way could cause severe health problems within the community. Harmful bacteria can be carried into the groundwater, and it can also result in polluted air. Meanwhile, it drastically disturbs the ecosystem, negatively impacting wildlife that may live around the home.

Many Redditors suggested calling the city health department.

Should HOAs be able to force homeowners to change their yards? Absolutely not 💯 Yes — it's part of the deal 🤝 Only in extreme circumstances 🏚️ We should ban HOAs 🚫 Click your choice to see results and speak your mind.

"I just looked it up, and in my area we're supposed to call the cops and the cops come and fine the person doing it," one commented. "Maybe try that? I mean, it's supposed to be toxic to the environment."

There are usually laws in place that help keep a community safe. It's always worth communicating with neighbors and asking friends for advice to find out if there are any laws you may not be aware of that can help with your situation.

Join our free newsletter for easy tips to save more and waste less, and don't miss this cool list of easy ways to help yourself while helping the planet.