Chargeable Garden Waste Collection Service

These terms and conditions do not affect your statutory rights.

Service description

You have agreed to purchase a subscription on these terms and conditions (‘your Subscription’) to the Service by paying Watford Borough Council (the ‘Council’) an annual fee to collect your garden waste from the green bin(s) (‘Bins’) provided by the Council along with the Official Bin Sticker which is to be displayed on each Bin.

The Service is available to all residential households within the Watford Borough where: (i) it is practical operationally for the Council to provide the Service to your proposed collection address; (ii) you have adequate space within the boundary of your proposed collection address to store the number of Bins included in your Subscription; and (iii) you use the bin correctly in accordance with the list of accepted items on the Council website.

Garden waste will be collected fortnightly, however, collections may be affected by bank holidays. Collection days can be checked on the Council website.

Please note, one fortnight collection of green bins may be cancelled during the Christmas period to respond to the needs of the Service. Please refer to our bin collections form for further details.

The Service is not provided for commercial purposes. If the Council is of the opinion you will be using your bin for a commercial purpose, the Council will cancel your subscription and will cease collections.

The annual collection charge per Bin (the ‘Annual Cost’) is published on the Council website. The Council reserves the right to increase or vary the Annual Cost at any time. You will be given notification of any change to the Annual Cost on the Council website.

The Annual Cost covers the cost of emptying one Bin. Your Subscription only covers collections from a single specified property (the ‘Subscription Address’) and there is a limit of 7 Bins that can be included in your Subscription at the Subscription Address.

When you subscribe to the Service you will be charged an annual subscription fee, depending on the number of bins you have, plus a one off delivery charge if requested for the delivery of the Bins. Your Subscription is renewable annually with effect on and from 1 September to 31 August the following year (the ‘Collection Year’). Any payment or application made after the 1 June will not commence the Service until the 1 September of the relevant year.

Although reminders will be given, Subscription renewal is your responsibility, and failure to re-subscribe will result in the cancellation of your Subscription and the end of garden waste collections from the Subscription Address.

Cancelling the Service

You are entitled to cancel your Subscription within 14 days of subscribing, and receive a full refund, if you have not already received a collection at the Subscription Address.

These terms and conditions continue in force for the full Subscription year if:

• you cancel your Subscription after the end of the 14-day cooling off period; or
• the Council cancels your Subscription at any stage

No refunds or part refunds will be made, and your Bin(s) will be removed.

The Council may cancel your Subscription with immediate effect by notice in writing if you: (i) cancel your direct debit before the current Collection Year’s subscription fee is paid; or (ii) you breach the terms of your Subscription in any other material way and you do not correct or make good the breach within 7 calendar days of the Council asking you to do so.

The Council reserves the right to withdraw the Service from all customers at any time. The Council will give a least three months written notice should the withdrawal be permanent. No refund or part refund will be made, and your Bin(s) may be removed.

On the cancellation of your Subscription for any reason and having paid the Annual Cost, the Council will continue collections for the relevant Collection Year and discontinue the Service at the next Collection Year.

Notification of change of Service

The Council reserves the right to change your collection day/week or collection point for operational reasons. Any changes will be notified in advance on the Council website.

Bin(s)

Bin(s) are provided for your use but remain the property of the Council. Only a Bin provided by the Council will be emptied.

Bin(s) may not be new but will be supplied in serviceable condition. There is a charge for the delivery of the Bin(s) to the Subscription Address. Prices are subject to an annual increase and are available on the Councils website.

Bin(s) will be delivered within 10 working days from registration to use the Service.

Bin(s) are provided separately to the Sticker which will be sent via post to the Subscription Address. The Sticker must be applied to the Bin and will display the Subscription Address for the purposes of identifying your Subscription to the Garden Waste Collection Service.

You use your Bin(s) at your own risk.

You must safely store your Bin(s) inside the boundary of the Subscription Address between collections and position your Bin(s) to avoid nuisance or obstruction when putting them out for collection.

You are responsible for keeping your Bin(s) safe and clean, and reporting any Bin that is damaged. The Council will replace Bins that become faulty through reasonable wear and tear or are damaged during the collection process free of charge within 10 working days. The Council reserves the right to make a charge to replace any Bin(s) damaged because of misuse by you.

If you do not renew your Subscription at the end of a subscription period, your Subscription will end.

The Council reserves the right to remove your Bin(s) and or Sticker(s) if you fail to pay for the Service or if the Council withdraws the Service for any reason. Any personal stickers applied to your Bin(s) are non-returnable.

The Council has the authority to apply advisory notices to your Bin(s) to identify issues or to provide education on items appropriate for recycling.

The Council reserves the right to cancel collections in unpredictable circumstances such as extreme weather conditions or 'force majeure' without prior notice; the Service will resume as soon as conditions allow. If the Council alters the collection day, the Council notify you at the earliest opportunity on the Council website. Updates will be communicated through social media, directe emails and/or updates on the Council website.

The Council reserves the right not to collect your Bin(s) if the Sticker is not the Offical Bin Sticker as supplied by the Council, or has been copied, duplicated, replicated, reproduced, reprinted, forged or otherwise to imitate or pass off as the Offical Bin Sticker.

Collection Days

The Bin(s) will be emptied fortnightly in line with the collection calendar. Details of collection days will be published on the Council website.

Where the collection falls on a bank holiday or public holiday, the Bin(s) may be collected on an alternative day as scheduled or advised.

All reasonable effort will be made to empty the Bin(s) subject to adverse weather conditions or in situations outside the control of the Council. The Council reserves the right to suspend the Service in such events and will resume its collection as soon as it is able to safely do so on the next scheduled collection.

Presentation of your Bin(s)

The Bin(s) must be presented at the kerbside on the boundary of the property no later than 6am on the day of collection and in a safe manner.

The Bin(s) must be clearly visible from the road and accessible without obstruction.

The lid of the Bin(s) must be fully closed when presented.

If the Bin(s) is not presented for collection at the right time and in the right place the collection crew will not return to empty it until the next scheduled collection date.

After your Bin(s) has been emptied, the collection crew will return them to the place from which they were collected or the edge of your boundary on the basis that it is your responsibility to take your Bin(s) back within the boundary of your property.

Contamination

Only loose garden waste should be disposed of in your Bin(s). Permitted garden waste includes grass cuttings, flowers, bark, twigs, plants, small tree branches, loose leaves, shrub and hedge trimmings. The items that cannot be  placed in your Bin(s) include, but aren’t limited to: large branches, stones, gravel, rocks, rubble, tree stumps, Japanese knotweed, treated or painted wood, fencing, building materials, animal faeces and cat litter, textiles, nappies, plastic bags, plastic plant pots or trays, garden furniture, garden toys and cardboard (‘Incorrect Materials’). 

Bin(s) with contents consisting of or including any Incorrect Materials will be treated as contaminated and will not be emptied.  It is your responsibility to remove the Incorrect Materials prior to the next collection.  If your Bin(s) is repeatedly contaminated with Incorrect Materials the Council may suspend your Subscription without any refund of the subscription fee.

Compacted, over-filled or over-weight Bin(s)

Bin(s) that are compacted too densely, over-filled, over-weight, the lid or contents are frozen, will not be emptied. If Bin(s) are over-filled or over-weight it is your responsibility to remove the item(s) prior to the next scheduled collection. 

If waste is too compacted and will not come out of the Bin(s) when tipped, it will be left in the Bin(s) and it will be your responsibility to remove the waste before the next scheduled collection. Only one attempt to empty a Bin(s) will be made; any waste remaining in the Bin(s) will be left.

If you fail to loosen the compacted waste, reduce the weight or fullness of the Bin(s) or repeatedly present compacted, over-full or over-weight Bin(s) the Council may suspend your Subscription without any refund of the subscription fee.

Additional garden recycling placed on top or to the side of a Bin(s) will not be collected.

Reporting problems

Where a Bin(s) has been presented correctly but has been genuinely missed by the collection crew, you must report the missed collection and leave the Bin(s) out so that the collection crew can easily get to it.

Missed collections must be reported within 24 hours of the scheduled collection day. The collection crew will return by the end of the next working day. Missed collections must be reported on the Council website.

Reports for a missed collection made after 24 hours will not be serviced until the next scheduled collection day.

You will not be compensated for a missed collection.

No refunds will be provided in the event that collections cannot be carried out for reasons beyond the Council’s control e.g. parked cars, adverse weather, pandemics.

Bin(s) not presented by 6.00am on the day of collection cannot be reported as missed and will not be considered a ‘missed’ collection.

Lost, stolen or damaged Bin(s) can be reported to the Council.

Complaints relating to any aspect of the Service or for repeated service failure should be reported to the Council through its complaints procedure. Details can be found on the Council website. Prior to the making of a complaint all previous incidents of service failure must have been reported to the Council.

Change of circumstances

If you wish to cancel your Subscription or you are moving to an area not covered by the Service, you must contact the Council to cancel your Subscription.

If you change your address within the Watford borough your Subscription can be transferred to the new property. It is your responsibility to notify the Council of your change in address and request your Subscription to be transferred. If you do not do this, the Council will continue to empty the Bin(s) at your ‘old’ address until the end of the subscription period or notification of change of address is received (whichever is first).

If you are moving to an address in a different local authority area, you must notify the Council and cancel your subscription as the Service cannot be transferred outside of the Watford borough. When you move you should leave all Bin(s) at your “old” property. No refunds will be given.

Any other changes to your circumstances including name, bank account and email address must be notified to the Council. Details on how to do this can be found within your Council account.

Other important terms

The Council may transfer the Council’s rights and obligations under these terms and conditions to another organisation but only on the basis that it does not affect obligations due to you under these terms and conditions.

The Council may make changes to these terms and conditions from time to time for any reason including (but not limited to) the following circumstances: (i) changes in how The Council accepts payment from you; and (ii) changes in relevant laws and regulatory requirements. Notification of amendments will be given on the Council website.

You are required to ensure that your Bin(s) are only used for the storage of garden waste materials for collection by the Council. The Council does not accept any responsibility or liability for the loss of any materials that have been placed in a Bin(s) for disposal or otherwise.

The Council is not liable for any failure to perform any of the Council’s obligations caused by an event outside the Council’s control.

Any outstanding charges or invoices due to the Council may be collected as a debt.

Watford Borough Council Garden Waste Service

Privacy Notice

Introduction

You need to be aware of this Privacy Notice if you are subscribing to the Watford Borough Council Garden Waste Service (the ‘Garden Waste Service’)

What is a Privacy Notice?

A Privacy Notice is a statement issued by an organisation which explains how personal and confidential data about individuals is collected and shared.

Your personal data – what is it?

Personal data relates to a living individual who can be identified from that data. Identification can be by the data alone or in conjunction with any other information in the data controller's possession or likely to come into such possession.

Who we are

Watford Borough Council is the Data Controller for the personal data you provide. We are registered with the Information Commissioner's Office with registration number Z7546016.

We will ensure that the data given to us is processed in accordance with current Data Protection Legislation including the General Data Protection Regulation (Regulation (EU) 2016/679) unless and until it ceases to apply in the United Kingdom, the Data Protection Act 2018 and related implementation legislation. The regional supervisory authority is the Information Commissioner's Office.

How to contact us

Watford Borough Council and the Data Protection Officer can be contacted by post or email using the details provided below.

Post: The Data Protection Officer, Hertfordshire County Council, County Hall, Pegs Lane, Hertford SG13 8DE

Email: watfordDP@hertfordshire.gov.uk

Telephone: 01992 588099

What Personal Data do we collect?

We collect a range of data about you in order to deliver the Garden Waste Service. This includes your name, address, email address, phone number and payment details.

What if you do not provide personal data?

You are under no statutory obligation to provide personal data to us during the Garden Waste Service subscription process. However, if you do not provide us with the information we ask for, we will not be able to provide you with the Garden Waste Service.

Why do we need your personal information?

We use your personal data to deliver the Garden Waste Service and this will include the following purposes:

• to allow you to pay for garden waste collections
• to provide you with garden waste collections
• to manage and administer your garden waste collections
• to contact you about changes to the service
• to contact you when your subscription is due for renewal
• to improve the design and performance of the service
• to investigate complaints
• to manage the finances of the service
• to recover money you may owe us

The legal basis for using your information`

We are collecting your personal data because the processing of your personal data is necessary for the performance of our contract with you to provide you with a Garden Waste Service.

Who do we share your data with?

We will need to share your personal data with the following contractors in order to deliver the Garden Waste Service as agreed in the terms and conditions of your Garden Waste Service subscription:

• Granicus-Firmstep Limited
• Euro label Printers, Limited
• Agile Applications Limited
• Veolia ES (UK) Limited
• Capita Business Services

Your address will be shared with the contractors to provide the contractor with information required to collect your garden waste and administer the service.

Your personal data may also be shared with the contractors where it is necessary for us to provide details of your name, address, email or phone number to the contractors to enable the contractors to respond to any query you may have or any complaint you may make.

Your personal data will be held by the contractors, and used solely for the purpose of providing the Service and not shared any further.

How long do we keep your personal information?

We will only retain your personal information for as long as necessary to fulfil the purposes we collected it for, including for the purposes of satisfying any legal, accounting, or reporting requirements.

What you can do with your information

Under current Data Protection Legislation you have the following rights:

• The right of access to you own personal data
• The right to request rectification of your personal data
• The right to object to the processing of your personal data however this will mean we will no longer provide the Garden Waste Service to you
• The right to request a copy of the information you provide us in machine-readable format

Should you wish to exercise any of your rights, you should contact the Data Protection Officer.

Changes to this privacy notice

We review this privacy notice regularly and will place updates on our website.

Main privacy notice

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