Her Neighbor Used Her Trash Can, So She Put A Lock On It And Now They're In A War

Most neighbor disputes involve things like loud music, overgrown hedges, or someone parking slightly too close to the mailbox. But every once in a while, a feud between neighbors becomes so bizarrely petty that it almost doesn't sound like real life.

TikToker Carina (@carinataylorwriter) is talking about the plot of her new book, Neighbors Like That. The story's drama centers around a neighbor who started using someone else's trash can. She caught him one morning when she was in the kitchen, drinking coffee.

"I looked out my window, and sure enough, there he is, taking a huge bag and putting it in my small trash can because it's only me, so I have the small can, and the last time I had the trash emptied, it was super full, and I was like, I don't make that much trash," said Carina.

Now, she knows it's because her neighbor has been adding his stuff to her trash can before garbage pickup day. She decided to put a lock on her trash can to ensure it doesn't happen again.

The next morning, she waited to see if her neighbor would come across the road. He showed up like clockwork, lugging a big trash bag.

He looked around to make sure the coast was clear before he tried to open the lid. But this time, it wouldn't budge.

Carina had opened her blinds, so she was just standing there, drinking her coffee and laughing at him. He saw her laughing and gave her the death glare, as if he wasn't the one who had been attempting to break into her trash can.

At that point, most people probably would have admitted defeat and moved on. But this neighbor was apparently committed to the battle.

When she got home from work later that day, she discovered that her neighbor had used bolt cutters to remove the lock from her trash can.

Impact Photography - stock.adobe.com - illustrative purposes only, not the actual person

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To make matters worse, he had replaced it with his own lock, effectively barring her from using her own trash can.

"So then, he came over and was standing there, watching me try to get the lock off of my garbage can," said Carina. "Now, we are in a full-on neighbor war, like all bets are off now."

In suburbia, even garbage cans can become weapons of war. Several TikTok users took to the comments section to weigh in on the feud.

"I'm so confused. How do the garbagemen empty the trash when there's a lock on it?" pointed out one user.

"It is generally illegal for someone to put garbage in your personal or rented trash bin without permission. This act is often considered a form of illegal dumping, trespassing, or theft of service," commented another.

"Why does he think that is his? I would have shouted at him the first time," stated a third.