Apartment owner baffled by 'crazy' wheelie bin request to residents

Residents living in the Queensland block were stunned after receiving a letter from their strata committee regarding their bins.

Main: picture showing several wheelie bins lined up outside apartment block. Overlay:  Contravention notice from Queensland strata comittee.
Residents living in an Ipswich apartment building have been told they can no longer store their bins on common property. Source: Getty/Reddit

An Aussie homeowner living in a strata property was left scratching their head after receiving a letter from body corporate outlining a bizarre wheelie bin request to residents.

Owners and tenants living in the Queensland building are now required to store their bins inside their homes or backyards, the letter states — a request the resident says is "unreasonable" and "quite unhygienic" as some have no side access so must drag their bins through the apartment.

According to the letter from the strata committee, "unsightly" wheelie bins "cause obstruction or nuisance" in common spaces, which include the garage and the front and side of the building where, until now, the bins have been stored. Because of this, it's been requested all bins "must be moved to private property".

The only exception is on Tuesdays and Wednesdays when they can be "left at front of units" for collection, the letter to residents said. "Maintaining a clean and tidy environment is crucial for all well-being and overall appearance of our complex," it said.

Confused by the unusual request, the Ipswich local sought advice on social media and asked if there were consequences for non-compliance. While they admitted to having a backyard, there is no side gate access which would mean "dragging the bin through the property" which is not a suitable solution, they said.

Contravention notice from Queensland strata committee.
The new rule means some residents are required to wheel their bins through their homes. Source: Reddit

They also noted they while they do have garage space, it's for one car only so "there's hardly enough room to walk around the car when it's in" let alone store a wheelie bin.

While some strata blocks have a dedicated space to store the bins, this Ipswich building — which has 110 apartments — doesn't, the poster revealed. For those lucky enough to have a front garden, there's no issue to be had. But for others, little consideration has been given.

Shocked by the request, many urged the resident to fight back insisting there was no way to safely and hygienically store the bin in their backyard. But the poster said the strata committee more or less said "too bad" when the issue was raised.

"I wouldn’t be dragging my wheelie bin through my house either," one person responded.

"In my uneducated opinion, it looks to me like they are stretching the meaning of those by-laws to enforce whatever they deem fit," another said. "In truth, storing your wheelie bin wherever you please (on your property) is neither a nuisance nor obstruction by any common understanding".

White apartment building with black balconies.
There are 110 apartments in the block (not pictured) where the new notice has been issued. Source: Getty

Others suggested proposing switching wheelie bins for large dumpsters instead. "That way the garbos drive inside to collect. This seems like a crazy situation for so many units," another said.

Across Australia, a breach of strata by-laws can result in fines being issued to the person or party in breach. In Queensland, if someone doesn't comply with a contravention notice, the body corporate can take the matter to court and a fine of more than $3,226 can be imposed.

While in NSW, the matter has to first go through tribunal where the NSW Civil and Administrative Tribunal can order a person to pay a penalty of up to $1,100.

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