A disgruntled homeowner has taped an abusive note to their wheelie bin to stop dog walkers from using it to throw away their poo bags.
When walking your dog, owners can go miles without passing a public bin, leaving them to hold their dog's poo bag for an uncomfortably long time.
Some owners have confessed to discarding their dog's smelly waste in someone else's bin to simply free up their hands.
Although there is no clear law against using another person's bin, it could be argued that it classes as fly tipping because you are not taking it home or disposing of it at an approved location.
Sign up to our TeamDogs newsletter for your weekly dose of dog news, pictures and stories.
Wanting to put an end to strangers using their wheelie bin, the homeowner wrote: "I will find out who you are throwing your dog s*** in my rubbish. Shame on you take it to you home. Rude b****."
The threatening note has sparked a debate amongst dog owners on whether using somebody else's bin during a walk is morally OK.
Many have argued, with the lack of public waste bins, using somebody's green bin is better than leaving the waste on the pavement or bagging it up to dump in a hedge.
One dog owner said on Reddit: "A huge argument has kicked off in my town's Facebook group regarding putting dog poo bags in someone else’s wheelie bin.
"Personally I don’t mind when people put their dog poo bags in my wheelie bin, especially if it’s out on the pavement ready for collection.
"I’d much rather it be in my bin than having dog poo all over the pavements. What are your opinions regarding wheelie bin dog poo drop offs?"
In response, one user said: "My opinion is don't do it. Bag it, take it home or use a public bin.
"Nine times out of 10 it's fine in someone else's bin, but that one time means you've put it in the 'wrong' bin and they won't be able to have their bins emptied.
"Other people's wheelie bins are theirs, and importantly their responsibility, they're not there for your convenience.
"I don't personally ever use them as general public waste bins, and certainly wouldn't for 'offensive' litter like dog poo."
Another user added: "Anyone who does this deserves to be made to live in the bin with the festering poo for a fortnight until the next collection.
"I went to get my recycling bin yesterday and someone had put a bag of poo in it. Not only is that going to stink, but it messes up the recycling and if the binmen see it they'll refuse to take the bin."
During 2019 to 2020, local authorities in England dealt with just under one million fly-tipping incidents, an increase of two per cent from the 957,000 reported in 2018 to 2019.
The total incidents involving household waste were 632,000 in 2019 to 20, an increase of seven per cent from 588,000 in 2018 to 2019.
"Fly-tipping is the illegal disposal of household, industrial, commercial or other ‘controlled’ waste," the government statement adds.
"The waste can be liquid or solid; controlled waste includes garden refuse and larger domestic items such as fridges and mattresses.
"Fly-tipping is not the same as littering. Littering is commonly assumed to include materials, often associated with smoking, eating and drinking."
Do you have a dog story to share? Email paige.freshwater@reachplc.com.
