Taking out the trash can be pretty contentious, especially if you live with roommates. It always seems to be the same person taking it out, and they usually aren’t happy about it.

But a different type of drama comes in to play when you have your own place: overbearing HOAs!

So when this user’s HOA started rolling out ridiculous rules about trash cans, he decided to follow them even if it meant waking the whole neighborhood up at 6am!

Check it out!

Your trash cans may only be out at specific times!

We live in an HOA, and if you don’t, lucky you.

We have never had any real problems, they don’t do much other than make sure the park and gardens look good.

Anyhow, for whatever reason, they decided to add a new rule.

It wasn’t needed, but I guess they got bored and wanted something to do.

Maybe someone kept leaving their trash cans out all week.

Fine, just ask them to stop. It’s not that hard.

The new rule states when trashcans can be put out.

They can’t be out before 6 am on Wednesdays and must be put back before 6 pm the same day.

OP had a whole list of problems with this new rule…

This is obviously stupid and has a few problems.

First of all, some people use a different company.

The HOA provided one goes on Wednesday and it’s cheap so most people use it, but you don’t have to.

Some people have theirs go Monday or Tuesday.

Also, a lot of people here work in the medical field and just aren’t home during those times.

So no one is there to put out or bring in cans.

So his neighborhood decided to fight back, by following the rules as loudly as possible!

So, a few of us got together on how to comply, but be annoying about it.

We decided to comply with their set times as best we can.

Take it out at 6 when a lot of us go to work or go for a morning walk, and take it back in at 6 since most of us are home.

Some of us help by taking others bins to the street if they’re at work.

But, when it is time to take out the trash, do it as loud as possible. Bin has wheels? DRAG IT.

Got it to the street, make sure it’s firmly placed on the street.

Need to take out other bag?

Slap it in there and let the lids slam shut.

But OP and his neighbors weren’t just assaulting the neighborhood’s ears, but their nose as well!

For those who have trash go out on other days, comply with the times, but do in on your trash day.

Then, also put them out on Wednesday as required.

If you can, leave trash in them and leave the lid open to it would bake in the sun all day.

Yes, it did smell like hot trash.

That’s the point.

After 3 weeks of this, the rule was thrown out, and we were all simply asked to put out and take in our cans within a reasonable amount of time, preferably on trash day.

And OP said that they could have avoided all of the chaos if they would have sent this request before making the rule!

Was it really that hard to ask nicely?

Why not just address whoever was the problem?

Know that, because an HOA rule was changed, a lawyer was paid to look over it before the CC&R could be updated.

That means this stupid rule cost every resident money.

Anyhow, we are already planning on voting out one member of the board who we know is the problem come the summer election.

It’s not like OP was breaking any rules, in fact he was following the one set down to the very letter!

Reddit loved the malicious compliance, but they couldn’t get over the fact that trash was picked up on different days.

This user said that anyone on the night shift literally wouldn’t be able to follow the rules, even if they tried.

Another user pointed out that of all things to make rules about, trash cans are perhaps the most useless.

Finally, this user had an HOA whose fixation on their trash never took a day off, not even Christmas!

“I have to take my trash out at 6am? Sure, but you’ll regret it!”

If you liked that post, check out this one about an employee that got revenge on HR when they refused to reimburse his travel.