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Homeowner frustrated by repeated actions of neighbor's kids: 'I think they do it to mess with us'

"I've never talked to anyone who lives there or had any negative interaction before."

A Redditor shared their frustrating experience with their neighbor's kids throwing trash in their yard — and how they're at a loss for what to do.

Photo Credit: Reddit

A Reddit post sparked discussion when a user said their neighbors' kids repeatedly threw garbage into their yard.

In r/mildlyinfuriating, the user detailed a constant stream of trash coming from next door. A photo showed soda cans littering their grass.

A Redditor shared their frustrating experience with their neighbor's kids throwing trash in their yard — and how they're at a loss for what to do.
Photo Credit: Reddit

"I think they do it to mess with us and not on accident," the original poster wrote. "I've never talked to anyone who lives there or had any negative interaction before, but for some reason the kids think it's okay to throw their wrappers, cans, and other random trash in my yard."

Making the situation more difficult, the user was hesitant to speak to the perpetrators. They said in a comment that they had "never seen a parent but can sometimes hear a woman tell them to 'Shut the f*** up.'"

This kind of disrespect is more than just mildly infuriating. For homeowners trying to enjoy positive, planet-friendly spaces, difficult neighbors can be a major barrier. It's hard to find the motivation to maintain a native garden or start a compost pile if you know it will just be filled with someone else's garbage. And it's not an isolated incident. Another homeowner captured an infuriating video of their neighbors' children tossing a flurry of garbage from an upstairs window.

Deliberate littering flies in the face of widespread community efforts. According to a 2020 study by Keep America Beautiful, 90% of Americans believe litter is a problem in their states. The study said there were nearly 50 billion pieces of litter across the United States, which breaks down to 152 items for every resident.

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Thankfully, people are pushing back. On the high-tech side, researchers have developed a four-legged, dog-like robot named VERO that uses artificial intelligence to find and vacuum up toxic litter. But simple, individual action works, too. One good Samaritan showed how they cleaned up their local area, filling a trash bag in just 25 minutes.

Commenters were split on the best solution. Many advised a direct, neighborly approach first. 

"Go knock on their door," one user suggested. "Bring a trash bag of their garbage. Let them know, they lost this, could they not in the future?

"Another commenter advised a more diplomatic path: "Kindly ask their parents if they will tell their kids to stop. If they act like pricks, tell them you thought you would talk to them before code enforcement."

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