A TikToker who goes by B (@b.jjjdbja) started a fight over dog poop disposal etiquette in a viral clip. Her video, which garnered over 358,000 views, sparked a litany of replies from other users on the popular mobile app.
She asks whether or not it’s wrong for her to clean up her dog’s poop from a neighbor’s yard. Then, she tosses the dookie-filled bag into the same neighbor’s trash bin.
“Okay. This is a serious question. If I’m walking my dog in my neighborhood. And she poops in somebody’s yard. And I clean it up, and then I throw away her poop bag in their dumpster. Like, they’re garbage can, is that acceptable?”
“Or, would somebody be mad about me throwing away my dog’s poop in their garbage can? Just curious,” she says at the end of the video before looking into the camera.
Commenters sound off
Throngs of TikTokers had strong opinions on B’s fecal quandary. There were many who adamantly espoused not using a neighbor’s trash can to dispose of bagged doggy doo-doo. “No dude you carry it home,” they penned.
Another echoed the aforementioned sentiment, writing. “Absolutely not. You carry it. If that bag breaks or leaks, are you cleaning my garbage can?”
@b.jjjdbja This is a serious question lol #foryou #fyp ♬ original sound – B
Whereas someone else stated there are contingencies, if presented, that are acceptable alternatives to neighborly scat disposal. “I’ll toss it in a Public trash, but never a private residence,” they shared.
Someone else suggests that like B, they’re prone to chucking canine feces into other people’s private trash. “Hilarious. We just did that. I would say if the garbage was full and waiting to be taken out yes acceptable. If the garbage was empty ready to take back to the house, then unacceptable.”
One TikToker stated that they don’t care if someone puts their pooch’s poop pouch inside their waste bin. “Colorado here, people do that to me all the time. I don’t mind. I rather you use my trash can and not leave it on the ground.”
And this commenter expressed shock at individuals who decried B’s actions. “The number of people in this comment section who are so offended by you throwing waste in a waste can, wild.”
Extenuation of excrement
Turd law appears to be a bit murky when it comes to tossing trash in another neighbor’s garbage can. In an Avvo law forum, an individual expressed concerns over someone else dumping their refuse in their trash bins.
That’s because, as indicated in their post, they “pay a company” to evacuate the contents of their bins. Despite making a stink to their neighbor about the repeated offenses, the poster said this individual hasn’t stopped.
State College Business Attorney William John Burnett said that the individual’s gripe reeks of a dispute. In order to demand any monetary compensation, the trash bin owner in question must prove damages.
For instance, if the Avvo user can prove they’re “charged for more waste than [they’re] producing,” they could have a case. Proving the amount of these charges, and that the neighbor is putting their trash in their bins, however, would need to be established.
Is any of this illegal?
However, Upgraded Home unequivocally states that tossing trash in a neighbor’s bin is against the law. Since cities are often paid for “trash pickup,” these garbage bandits are technically engaging in “theft of services.” I.e., they’re stealing from the city.
Consequently, the outlet states, rubbish rogues can be legally prosecuted and “law enforcement can get involved.” Furthermore, the website urges folks to ensure strangers aren’t throwing things away in your trash.
Mainly because you don’t know what it is they’re tossing. It could be incriminating evidence tied to criminal activity. Or items that are categorically illegal, such as firearms or narcotics. If law enforcement searches your garbage for any reason and finds these items, you could potentially be implicated in a crime.
According to the same piece, “most states” clearly delineate that using someone else’s waste receptacles is unlawful. And this practice has its own nomenclature: “fly-tipping,” otherwise known as the illegal dumping of waste.
The Daily Dot has reached out to B via TikTok comment for further information.
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