A woman from Sydney has issued a scathing message to scavengers who mess with her items left out for kerbside collection.
The resident of Sydney’s Macarthur region, southwest of the city, made her stance clear this week after “inconsiderate” locals left her pick-up pile in tatters.
“Listen, if you’re going to go through someone’s kerbside pick up pile, leave it as clean and tidy as you found it. Don’t just leave junk everywhere,” the woman posted to social media.
The woman, who lives with a disability, explained it had been a laborious task getting her items to the front verge and she had only been able to do it with the help of four friends.
She was furious when she opened her door on Sunday to find her yard in a “big mess”.
“I woke up this morning to a big mess in my yard. I am not able to clean up after the mess that people make,” she said.
Council kerbside pick-up rules stipulated that small items must be bagged or boxed, leading the woman to fear that without another clean-up, her haul wouldn’t be taken away.
She was left questioning how the community could be so “inconsiderate” and decided to erect a sign letting locals know exactly how she felt.
“Please leave things bagged, boxed and tidy,” she said, before jokingly issuing a threat.
“If you make a mess, I will let my dog out to make a mess of you,” she wrote, finishing the handwritten letter off with a smiley face.
Most locals were able to see the comical side of her letter and many offered to help keep her pile in order until it was collected.
Some however thought her retaliation was “over the top”.
“I understand your frustration but this sign is a bit over the top. Good luck with the lawsuit if you intentionally set your dog upon someone,” one person wrote in a comment.
Others pointed out the woman was clearly joking.
“Obviously they wouldn’t let their dog out on purpose but it may just make someone think again about making a mess,” one wrote.