ArcaMax

DEAR AMY: We live in a suburb where any overflow trash that will not fit in your trash can must be put in a separate container and labeled with a sticker from the village, which is purchased for a nominal fee.

Every few months, my neighbors have been sneaking their overflow trash into our trash can.

I know this, because I place my trash can out at night, and in the morning, I add any remaining trash and see their trash inside.

I wouldn't mind this, as long as they would ask first.

It has gotten more frequent. I really like these neighbors -- they are great people. Your thoughts on how to handle this? -- Good Neighbor

DEAR NEIGHBOR: One solution would be for you to put your trash out on Wednesday mornings -- since you're already dashing out in the morning to add to your pile.

Otherwise your choices are to place a note on top of the can: "Whoever is placing their trash in our bin, please stop" or -- if you are certain that it is your neighbors -- say to them, "Do you guys need some extra garbage tags? When you add your trash to mine, it drives me a little bananas."

DEAR AMY: I disagree with your answer to "Upset Neighbor." She saw a neighbor child defecate outside and told the father about it. When he didn't do anything, she then told the mother and the beleaguered mother hustled over and cleaned it up.

Why didn't Upset just clean it up herself? -- Disagree

DEAR DISAGREE: I assume she didn't clean it because it wasn't her child -- and there was a parent nearby. But other readers agreed with you that she should have taken care of it.

========

(You can contact Amy Dickinson via email: askamy@tribpub.com. You can also follow her on Twitter @askingamy or "like" her on Facebook. Amy Dickinson's memoir, "The Mighty Queens of Freeville: A Mother, a Daughter and the Town that Raised Them" (Hyperion), is available in bookstores.)