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BCP Council

Garden waste collection services terms and conditions

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  1. BCP Council (“BCP”) provides BCP householders with chargeable collection services for garden waste (“Services”).
  2. These Terms and Conditions apply to householders who live in the BCP area and who use the Services. By using the Services, you agree to be bound by these Terms and Conditions.
  3. “Working Day” means any day which is not a Saturday, Sunday or a public or bank holiday in England.

1. Services

  1. The Services run for a 10-month duration during each year, which is usually from the beginning of February to mid-December each year, with BCP providing you with a 240-litre wheeled green bin “Bin”, which will be emptied on a day to be specified by BCP once in every period of 2 weeks (a total of 23 collections each year). You can subscribe to the Services online at bcpcouncil.gov.uk/gardenwaste and you will be required to pay the full cost of the annual Services at the point of subscription at whichever point in the year you subscribe. Once payment has been received from you, BCP will deliver the Bin and provide a collection calendar to you. No discount is offered for customers who register after the date that Services have commenced. The cost of the Services will be reviewed and set each year by BCP.
  2. Any new Bins and information packs (containing a Bin sticker and a collection calendar) will be delivered before the start of the Services if you register before the given cut-off date in December. If you register after this given date and before the Services start, BCP will deliver your Bin and information pack to you as soon as possible, but you may not receive these in time for the start of the Services. If you register after the Services start, your Bin and information pack will be delivered within 6 weeks of registration. Please see the How the garden waste service works link for further information and relevant dates.

2. Refunds and suspension of Services

  1. You have 14 days from receipt of these Terms and Conditions to request cancellation of the Services. Please refer to “Your rights to cancel the Services” at Clause 11 of the Terms and Conditions.
  2. There are no refunds or part refunds due to you for the cancellation of the Services by you part-way through any year.
  3. If there is evidence of misuse of the Services or any Bin by you, including persistent contamination, then the Services may be cancelled by BCP by providing you with at least 7 days’ notice. There will be no refund due to you in such circumstances.
  4. You agree that BCP may suspend the Services for any circumstance not within BCP’s reasonable control. No refunds will be provided in the event that collections cannot be carried out for reasons beyond the reasonable control of BCP including, without limitation:
    • acts of God, drought, earthquake, inclement weather conditions or other natural disaster
    • roadworks, no access to roads
    • epidemic and/or pandemic
    • terrorist attack, civil war, civil commotion or riots, war, threat or preparation for war, armed conflict; and/or
    • collapse of buildings, fire, explosion or accident
  5. If any Bin has been presented correctly and has been missed by BCP, a replacement collection will be provided. You agree that BCP is under no liability to pay you any refunds for all or part fees for missed collections.

3. Garden Waste Bins

  1. Any Bin is provided for use by you and will remain the property and ownership of BCP. There is no limit to the number of Bins that can be supplied per property. Each Bin will be charged at the relevant rate displayed on the BCP’s website.
  2. Only Bins supplied by BCP will be emptied. Garden waste presented in any other receptacle will not be collected.
  3. Any Bin is required to be maintained by you in a clean and useable condition. Whilst in possession of any Bin, the registered person is responsible for preserving the general condition and cleaning of any Bin.
  4.  Once presented for collection in accordance with Clause 5, should any Bin go missing and/or be damaged, then BCP will replace/repair any Bin within 2 weeks of you reporting the loss by using the ‘report it’ function for replacement Bins on BCP’s website. No charge will be incurred for a Bin replacement under these circumstances.
  5. BCP does not accept any liability for the repair or replacement of any Bin used for any purpose other than for the collection of garden waste.
  6. BCP reserves the right to remove any Bin that is not used in accordance with the Terms and Conditions and/or if there is any evidence of misuse by you.
  7. Any Bin will be removed from a property if payment is not received for the subsequent year within the payment period allowed.
  8. No stickers or decorations should be applied to any Bin, other than those supplied by BCP, and BCP reserves the right to charge you for the cost of removal or repair.
  9. BCP reserves the right to remove any Bin that is identified as unauthorised and/or has previously been reported as lost or stolen from another address.

4. Collection days

  1. Garden waste will be collected every 2 weeks on a specified day. BCP reserves the right to alter the collection day and, whenever reasonably possible, BCP will let you know in advance of any changes. The Services operate from Monday to Friday. You will be issued with a collection calendar prior to the Services starting, showing the scheduled dates for collection of any Bin. The collection days are also available at Check your bin day.

5. Presenting Bins

  1. Any and all Bins must be presented at the kerbside on the boundary at the front of the registered property (identified by the postal address), unless otherwise notified by BCP Council, by 5.00am on the scheduled collection day, or the evening prior to the scheduled collection day.
  2.  Collection from another road/street may be requested during registration.
  3. Any Bin must be clearly visible from the road, without any obstructions and away from hedges and/or walls.
  4. After emptying, any Bin will be returned to the boundary of the property. It is your sole and entire responsibility to ensure that any Bin is brought back onto your property.

6. Assisted collection

  1. An ‘assisted collection service’ (‘pull out’) is available for residents who are physically unable to manage any Bin and when there is nobody living at the premises capable of moving any Bin. If this service is already in place for refuse and recycling bins, it will automatically be arranged for any Bin.
  2. For new assisted collection applications, please register here

7. Missed Bins

  1. You should not report any Bin as having been missed until the following Working Day and you are required to report it to BCP by using the ‘report it’ function for missed Bins.
  2. On certain occasions BCP will not be able to collect a Bin due to circumstances which are outside the reasonable control of BCP. Please refer to Clause 2 of the Terms and Conditions above. Information about changes to Services will be kept up-to-date on BCP’s website. If a collection vehicle is repeatedly restricted from accessing any Bins, you may be asked to take your Bin to an agreed collection point.
  3. When a Bin has been presented correctly and been missed by BCP, BCP will return and empty the Bin within 5 Working Days of you reporting the incident to BCP, provided that you have reported the missed Bin collection to BCP using the ‘report it’ function for missed Bins within 2 Working Days of the usual collection day.
  4. Where a Bin has not been presented correctly, BCP will not return to empty the Bin.

8. Moving house

  1. You may transfer the Services to a new address within BCP area, provided that the Bin is transported by you at your own cost and expense.
  2. You are obliged to inform BCP of any change of your address by using the online form so that the Bin can continue to be collected at the new address once your move has taken place.
  3. If you move outside of the BCP area, you are required to leave the Bin for the new residents and inform us via BCP’s online form that you have moved out of the BCP area. The payment made by you is for the collection service only. Any and all Bins remain the property of BCP. BCP reserves the right to charge for any Bin removed without BCP’s prior written consent.

9. Acceptable material, contamination and overweight Bins 

  1. Only garden waste may be placed loose in any Bin. Garden waste includes grass cuttings, hedge and shrub clippings, plants and weeds, leaves, twigs, branches and bark, cut flowers and houseplants; but not soil, turf, ash or garden chemicals, any type of plastic (bags, liners or pots), cardboard, food or kitchen waste, invasive weeds (e.g. Japanese Knotweed), stone, rubble, gravel or sand, DIY rubbish or sawdust, animal waste or bedding, logs, large branches and/or wood. The garden waste must not be placed in plastic bags, as this affects the composting process.
  2.  Any contaminated Bin (i.e. containing incorrect materials) will not be emptied. If any Bin is contaminated, it is your responsibility to remove the item(s) of contamination prior to the next collection date of any Bin. If the contamination continues, BCP will remove any and/all Bins.
  3. Any and all Bins that are overflowing or overweight will not be emptied. These will be identified by the collection crew as being overweight, when they are not able to move any and all Bins and/or the vehicle is not able to lift any Bin to empty it. In these circumstances, it is your sole responsibility to remove the item(s) prior to the next collection and failure may result in BCP treating this action as misuse of a Bin.
  4. The lid to any and all Bins must be completely closed.
  5. No side waste will be collected, i.e. no extra waste next to the Bin or placed on its respective lid.

10. Bin misuse

  1. BCP has no liability for any Bin used for any other purpose other than for the collection of garden waste.
  2. You use any Bin at your own risk. 
  3. Evidence of misuse of any Bin will result in the removal of the Bin and termination of the Services. 

11. Your right to cancel the Services

You have the right to cancel the Services within 14 days from your receipt of the Terms and Conditions. Requests to cancel the Services are required to be carried out in writing. You can use the online form and request for the removal of the Bin. Cancellation of the Services is not accepted by telephone. Receipt will be deemed to occur on the next Working Day.

12. Complaints Procedure

BCP’s complaints procedure is available at:

https://www.bcpcouncil.gov.uk/Contact-us/Feedback-and-Complaints/How-to-make-a-formal-complaint.aspx

13. Data Protection Statement

The information that you provide BCP with will be used by BCP in relation to the Services. Please refer to BCP’s Privacy Policy for details as to how BCP will use your personal data:

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