I live in a two-family home, and my upstairs neighbor is a self-anointed member of the green police. I can’t put anything in the trash without her chiding me that it’s recyclable. I’m all for supporting the environment, but this constant eco-scolding is getting tiresome. —William K., Queens Village
Even well-intentioned New Yorkers can be found doing the wrong thing with their trash — not least of which because the rules have recently changed. In April, the city passed a sweeping expansion of its recycling program, which now includes something it never did before: rigid plastic. To keep the peace, do some homework and familiarize yourself with the current regulations, which you can find at nyc.gov. As a memory aid, consider posting stickers on or above your trash cans, indicating what goes where. If even this does not satisfy your green do-gooder neighbor, grin and bear it — sounds like her heart is in the right place.
A few people in my building never bother to break down the boxes they put in our trash room. As a result, anytime I go to bring out my own garbage, the area is filled with cardboard cartons, and I can’t get to the rubbish bins. —Jackie T., Roosevelt Island
Don’t you just love a neighbor who decides that once an unwanted corrugated cube is out of sight, it’s someone else’s problem? In a multi-unit building, all residents share the responsibility for keeping common areas neat, not to mention accessible. If the offenders are people you know, don’t hesitate to speak up — in a non-threatening manner, of course. If you don’t know them, write a letter of complaint to the management company and include photos and dates. Make sure your pictures include the boxes’ address labels so management can go straight to the perpetrators, levying fines if they don’t start cleaning up their acts.
One of my neighbors in my co-op is fond of putting cast-offs — old paperbacks, ugly tchotchkes — on the radiator in our lobby rather than taking them to the trash. While I applaud her efforts to give these items a second life, the objects are often so worn out, they sit for weeks, making the building look like a dumpy thrift store. —Lana H., DUMBO
The expression “one man’s trash is another man’s treasure” only goes so far, and if the refuse she’s been placing in the lobby is as threadbare as you say, it’s doubtful it will have appeal to anyone. Since she doesn’t seem to be finding any takers in your building, suggest to her that she might have better success bringing these items to an actual thrift store — though even they have standards. She can also use freecycle.org and Craigslist, both of which provide a simple means of giving away no-longer-wanted items to those in need.
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