Neighbor Throwing Trash in My Yard (This Made Them Stop!)

There are so many different problems you can encounter with a neighbor. One of the most popular problems is when you have a neighbor that throws trash in your yard. What can you do about this though?

If your neighbor is throwing trash in your yard, report them to the police since this is a crime on many levels. Doing so will hold them accountable and, hopefully, they will learn their lesson.

However, before you call the police, there are a few steps you should take first. Following this advice will ensure you don’t start a neighborhood rivalry when you could avoid it. We’re going to show you how to get that “trashy” neighbor to stop for good.

This post contains affiliate links from Amazon and other stores. This means Yard Blogger may earn a commission if you make a purchase using any of our links. Please refer to our full affiliate disclosure policy for full details.

What Can I Do if My Neighbor Throws Trash in My Yard?

If you are experiencing your neighbor throwing trash in your yard, you should first confront them about the issue and why it is disturbing you. You then have every right to contact the police and/or the health department. 

It’s possible that your neighbor is being naive and doesn’t know how much they are littering or are not doing it on purpose (to give them the benefit of the doubt). So, confront them in a kind manner and discuss the issue and try to come to a solution. 

If, however, they are not receptive to the discussion, then you have every right to call the police on them since littering is a crime.

Do not call 9-1-1 as this is not an emergency but do call your local police station and tell them about your situation, especially since you have tried talking to your neighbor already. 

Can I Call the Police on My Neighbor for Throwing Trash in My Yard?

You can absolutely call the police on your neighbor for throwing trash in your yard. Depending on the amount of trash they are leaving, it is either considered illegal dumping or littering. 

Call your local police station, but not 9-1-1, since this is not an emergency, as gross as it is. Explain the situation to them and they will come and check out the situation.

Your neighbor can possibly get fined depending on the specific situation and maybe even taken to court. 

You might also enjoy our post on Neighbors Burning Trash? Here’s What to Do!

Can I Sue My Neighbor for Throwing Trash in My Yard?

Depending on your specific situation, you may have grounds for suing your neighbor. It’s possible you could sue them for trespassing, negligence, private nuisance, and possibly other causes. 

Throwing trash in someone’s yard is illegal in many ways and you have every right to try and sue your neighbor.

Not only is trash in your yard unsightly, but it can also pose a health risk since it attracts unwanted animals and also breeds bacteria and dangerous living conditions. 

Can You Call the City on Your Neighbor?

You can call the city on your neighbor and report them for the littering they are doing. It’s possible that if you live in a certain type of community, that you can get them evicted since they are not following community guidelines. 

However, it might be a better idea to call law enforcement, instead. Littering or illegal dumping are considered crimes and having the police visit your neighbors will get them to clean up their act more quickly. 

Can You Call the Cops for Someone Littering?

Yes, you can absolutely call the cops if you witness or suspect someone is littering. Littering creates unhealthy living conditions and is considered a crime in which the police are responsible for enforcing. 

Call your local police station, but not 9-1-1 since this is not an emergency. The police will ask if you have any evidence of who littered.

If you don’t, they may come and look at the trash for any clues as to who may have previously owned it. 

How to Report Neighbors Trash

To report your neighbor’s trash, contact your county’s pollution hotline if there is one. If you are unsure if your county has one, check your county’s local website. 

You can also contact the police who will have a good idea of who to contact, as well, besides them. The police will have to get involved in the matter if there is a possibility of charging someone with a crime.

They will also involve the other organizations that should give attention to the matter. 

What to Do If Someone Dumps Trash on Your Property

If someone is dumping trash on your property, you should contact the police as this is a crime. Depending on the amount of trash on your property, this could be considered littering or illegal dumping. 

If you are witnessing the dumping in progress, call 9-1-1, in hopes that the police will be able to catch the dumper red-handed.

If you notice trash has already been dumped, you can still call the police station or fill out a report online. This online reporting tool for the city of Los Angeles, allows you to report the incident and even request removal. 

My Neighbor Throws Their Bag of Waste in Our Backyard

If your neighbor is ridding their waste in your backyard, you can call the police on them as this is illegal. It is clear that they know your backyard is your backyard, so they really don’t have any excuses and may get charged. 

Call your local police station and let them deal with the situation. If your neighbors deny it’s their trash, the police have the right to go through it since as soon as the trash is left for disposal, it becomes public property.

The police will not need a warrant. They will likely find something that proves it’s your neighbor’s trash. Either your neighbors will get charged or just scared enough to not do it again and start respecting your property. 

Neighbor Keeps Putting Trash on My Property

If your neighbor keeps putting trash on your property, report it to the police immediately. It’s possible that your neighbor could get charged with an array of crimes for doing this action. 

Putting trash on your private property is considered littering, and, for larger volumes of trash, illegal dumping. Let the police deal with the situation instead of trying to deal with it yourself.

It’s best to have the police let them off with a warning the first time they do it so they can get charged if it happens again. This way, the situation will not be dragged out. 

You might also enjoy our post on Neighbor Putting Trash in My Can All the Time

Neighbor Littering in Front of My House

If you notice someone has been littering in front of your house, it is difficult to report it since you don’t know who has been littering. You can install devices, such as a doorbell camera, to try and catch the litterer on camera. 

Once you do, you can give the evidence to the police and let them deal with it. Littering is a crime so, hopefully, they will look into the situation.

In the meantime, if you know who is littering in your yard, try to approach them softly about the situation and let them know why it is bothering you.

If they are receptive, then you can contact the police and let them know how your discussion went. If the person litters again, you will have more grounds to charge them since the police are already involved. 

Neighbor Throwing Cigarettes in My Yard

If you catch your neighbor throwing cigarettes in your yard, try to have a conversation with them discussing why it bothers you. Unfortunately, some smokers feel very entitled in regards to where they can throw their cigarette butts, so they may be doing it unconsciously. 

If they understand your concerns and agree to change, then great. You can trust them once they stop throwing cigarettes in your yard.

However, if they do not stop, even if they say they will, you can contact the police and let them know the situation.

Throwing cigarettes in your yard is considered littering and has some hefty fines and possible jail time, so, the police will either scare them or charge them. 

Neighbor Throwing Yard Waste on My Property

Having your neighbor throw yard waste on your property may be a tricky situation to navigate. However, yard waste is still considered waste that constitutes littering so contact the police as soon as you can.

If you feel like calling the police is too dramatic, you can confront your neighbor yourself, but in a soft manner. If they are understanding of your concerns and promise to stop, then you can leave it at that.

However, if they do not stop, document the incidents by taking photos of the waste, and then contact the police letting them know the whole situation. 

How to Deal With Littering Neighbors

Dealing with littering neighbors is difficult since you don’t want to create a toxic environment around your home but you also don’t want to be taken advantage of. The only thing you can do is first have a discussion with them about how their actions are disturbing you. If they are not receptive, then your only other option is to go to the police. 

However, if you have a homeowners association, you can also contact them first before you go to the police. This may lighten the blow to your neighbors and not have them despise you, which they might if you call the police.

But, remember, if you did all that you can do and they are still not respecting your property, then you have every right to go to the police without feeling guilty. 

You might also enjoy our post on Can My Neighbor Move My Trash Can?

How to Deal With My Neighbor’s Garbage Problem

The first thing you need to do is have an honest conversation with your neighbor about the problem. It’s possible they used to live somewhere where this was tolerated. If they are not receptive to this conversation, then consider contacting a higher authority. 

This may be a homeowners association or the police. Start with the homeowners association if you have one. Wait however long you think is appropriate to see if they continue with their garbage problem.

If it does continue, then contact the police since littering or dumping is illegal. 

Is Dumping a Crime?

Illegal dumping is a crime, whether you are dumping a small bag of trash or a couch you no longer use. If you are not placing the waste in a designated disposal area, then this is considered illegal. 

If you are caught illegal dumping, then you could face some hefty fines and possible jail time depending on your specific situation.  Always make sure to dispose of your waste at the proper place and time to avoid any serious consequences. 

Is Dumping a Criminal Offense?

Dumping is indeed a criminal offense, referred to as illegal dumping. Illegal dumping is whenever someone leaves a large amount of waste in a place that is not designated for waste disposal. This can be on the side of the street or on private or public property.

If you get caught illegal dumping, you may be in for a rude awakening. Illegal dumping has some hefty fines and even jail time depending on your specific situation.

Best to just take the time and put your waste where it belongs. 

What Is Considered Illegal Dumping?

Illegal dumping is disposing of large amounts of waste somewhere that is not designated for waste disposal such as private or public waterways or in sewers or waterways. Illegal dumpage can be anything from furniture, appliances, to a bag of kitchen waste. 

Most people aren’t aware of the consequences of illegal dumping so this act might be something that is common. But, it is in fact a crime and has some unfortunate punishments that one might not expect. 

What Are the Consequences of Illegal Dumping?

Fines differ for illegal dumping depending on which states you live in and the extent of the illegal dumping- where you dumped and how much. But, in general, you can get charged anywhere from $100 – $25,000 and spend up to one year in jail. 

So, illegal dumping is no joke. Although you may see random items just abandoned in certain places, this doesn’t mean it is allowed. Someone illegally dumped and it’s possible that they are paying for their actions. 

Illegal Dumping Fines

Illegal dumping fines vary depending on where you live, how much waste you illegally dumped, and where you illegally dumped. You can be charged anywhere from $100 to $25,000 and spend up to one year in jail.

So, before you take the risk, consider how much easier and cheaper it would be to properly dispose of your waste. It’s likely that you could get into a lot of trouble and have to pay a lot of money for something that is easily avoided. 

How Do You Catch Someone Dumping Trash in Your Yard?

The most accessible way to catch someone dumping trash in your yard is to set up a doorbell camera or other means of security cameras that capture the area that is being targeted. 

Doorbell cameras or other security cameras are easy to install and easy to operate.

As soon as you catch the person on camera dumping trash in your yard, you can either show it to them as proof that you know they are the culprits or you can bring it to the attention of the police if you would like to take legal action. 

How to Stop Someone from Littering

Stopping someone from littering is a big task to take on yourself but it is not hopeless. You can put up “No Littering” signs around your property to let the person know you are onto them or you can speak to them directly. 

Speaking to them directly, if you know who is littering, may get you somewhere. But, it also may not. If the person does not listen to you, then you can either go to your homeowners’ association or to the police. 

Littering on Private Property

Littering on private property is still considered a crime. This crime is set in place to protect the health of your environment. If you think someone is littering on your property, contact the police immediately.

The police will be able to investigate the situation and hopefully get to the bottom of who is littering on your property. If you do not have any evidence of who is responsible, it’s possible that the police will be able to access street cameras. 

How Can I Prevent My Neighbor from Throwing Trash in My Yard?

Speaking with your neighbor directly is the best tactic you can take to get them to stop throwing trash in your yard. If they do not listen to you, then you can go to the police and let them handle it. 

Throwing trash in your yard is illegal and illegal issues are best handled by the police as neighborly disputes can sometimes get ugly- you want as much of a foot in the door with the police when it comes to this type of thing.

If you try to prevent the situation yourself, things might escalate. 

How Can I Stop Illegal Dumping of Trash on My Property?

You can stop illegal dumping on your property by putting up “No Dumping” signs. This may seem simple but it could let whoever is dumping know that you are onto them. You can also put up flyers, if allowed, to spread illegal dumping awareness. 

Some people may not know that dumping their trash wherever they want is illegal, so a gentle reminder may be necessary. If you find these tactics are not working, you can call the police and ask them to look into it.

They will have the resources to investigate the matter. 

What Can I Buy to Stop Neighbors from Dumping Trash on My Property?

If trash dumping on your property is a problem, at the most extreme, you can put up a fence and then “No Dumping” signs on your fence. You can also install cameras to catch the person in the act and let them know you have proof of them doing something illegal.

The fact that you have proof of them dumping in your yard may scare them enough to stop. If that doesn’t scare them, you can hand the evidence over to the police and let them deal with the situation.

They will either let the person off with a warning or fine them.

Related Questions

Someone Dumped a Couch on My Property

Report the dumped couch on your property to the local police. You can do this by either filling a form out online on your city’s website, calling the police, or visiting in person. They will be able to designate an establishment to have the couch removed. 

The police may ask if you have any evidence of who dumped the couch as this is considered a crime and they want to have someone held responsible.

If you have security cameras, check them for any movement or ask your neighbors if they have any footage or witnessed something themselves. 

Someone Dumped a Mattress on My Property

Someone dumping a mattress on your property is considered illegal dumping. Report the incident to the local police by either filling out a report online, calling, or visiting the police station in person. They will look into the situation further and arrange for an establishment to remove the mattress and properly dispose of it. 

Check if you have any footage of who dumped the mattress if you have any security cameras set up. If you don’t, ask your neighbors. The police may ask if you have any idea of who dumped the mattress since this is considered a crime. 

What to Do If Garbage Is Dumped on Sidewalks

If there is garbage dumped on the sidewalks near your home, you can call your city’s pollution hotline. They will be able to assign someone to go and pick up the garbage. 

Since this is a crime, they may ask you to report the garbage to the police, or they may do it themselves. Ask your neighbors if they witnessed anyone leaving the garbage or if anyone may have security footage that captures the area. 

Final Thoughts 

Dealing with a “trashy” neighbor can be uncomfortable. Being taken advantage of is even worse. So, stand your ground and let your neighbor know that you are not playing their garage games. 

Report them to the police if they are not listening to your concerns and watch them take their trash where it belongs.