Terms and conditions

The following areas define the expectations and limitations of the garden waste collection service in line with our refuse and recycling collections policy.

Service description
Service eligibility
Application process/payment
Refunds
Garden waste bins
Collections days
Presenting garden waste bins
Assisted collections
Missed garden waste bins
Moving house
What can be put in a garden waste bin: acceptable material, contamination and overweight garden waste bins
Your right to cancel the service
Statutory rights
Data Protection statement
Variation of terms
Bad Weather

1. Service description

The garden waste collection services runs from April to December and is chargeable. The council will carry out garden waste collections fortnightly for each household during this period, provided that residents have subscribed before April of that year. We will provide a sticker and a garden waste bin which will be emptied on a day specified by the council once in every two weeks.

2. Service eligibility

Subject to the following points, the council will offer its garden waste collection service to all households within the borough. The service will not be offered to properties if it is not operationally practical to do so within current resources.

Each collection area/property must be easily accessible by a large 26 tonne collection vehicle. This includes being able to empty bins and manoeuvre the collection vehicle (turn around) easily and safely.
The scheme is only available to those properties with gardens that lie within the borough.
The garden waste bin must be stored within the boundaries of the property.

The above eligibility criteria applies to all properties including those properties that need an assisted collection.

3. Application process/payment

Residents will be required to subscribe for the garden waste collection service on an annual basis.
The council reserve the right to refuse an application for the garden waste collection service based on the criteria for the scheme as described in clause 2.
The payment for the collection service is per year per bin and the cost will be: £45 in 2024.
Payment can be made online.
Residents can subscribe throughout the year until 13 September 2024, no subscriptions can be accepted after this date. Residents joining the scheme part way through the year will still be charged the full annual cost.
Upon receipt of payment the council will issue a garden waste sticker and a garden waste bin to new subscribers who don’t have a bin from the previous year.
The council has a duty to keep records up to date, therefore we require customers to notify us of any changes to their personal details.
Residents can share a garden waste bin; however, the council accepts no responsibility for personal agreements made between neighbours. The subscription will need one name and address supplied when making the payment, the registered address will need to be written on the sticker which will be attached to the bin. The bin must be placed outside the property which is subscribed to the collection service.

4. Refunds

No refunds or partial refunds will be provided for cancellation of the service. For the avoidance of doubt please note that if you subscribe to the service later in the scheme year and the service is cancelled you will still be charged the full annual cost, you will not receive a partial refund.
If there is any misuse of the service or the garden waste bins for that household then the service may be cancelled by the Council; there will be no refund in these circumstances.
No refunds will be provided for garden bins which are lost, damaged or stolen.

5. The garden waste bins

The garden waste bin(s) is provided for use by householder(s), but remains the property of the council. A maximum of 4 garden waste bins can be supplied per property.
If requested, householders will be provided with additional garden waste bins at an additional cost of £45 for each bin.
Only garden waste bins supplied by the council will be emptied. Garden waste presented in any other container will not be collected.
Requests for garden waste bins will be logged and issued by the council at the earliest opportunity.
The garden waste bins will be supplied clean and in a usable condition. The registered person is responsible for the general condition and cleaning of the garden waste bin whilst it is in their possession.
There will be a charge for replacement bin(s) if either lost or stolen. A wheeled bin lost/stolen will be subject to a £25.60 charge.
The council will accept no liability for garden waste bins used for any other purpose other than for the collection of garden waste. Misused garden waste bins may be removed.
The council reserves the right to remove all garden waste bins that are not used for the service or if there is evidence of misuse.
On payment of the annual subscription, the council will issue each householder with a bin sticker. Householders are to write their address on to the sticker. Stickers issued by the council for the service must be placed below the bin handle and are the responsibility of the householder. Garden waste bins must be presented with the sticker facing towards road / collection route.
No service will be provided for garden waste bins not displaying a garden waste sticker.

6. Collection days*

Garden waste will be collected once every two weeks on a specified day. The council reserves the right to alter the collection day, but will provide notice to subscribers of any changes.
The service operates from Tuesday to Friday. Subscribers will be issued with collection details prior to the service starting, showing the proposed dates for collection of the garden waste bin.
The council reserves the right to alter the dates of the collection season or collection days. Appropriate notice will be given before any alteration.

*(Exemptions to these clauses apply during inclement weather, in cases of operational difficulty or any event of ‘Force Majeure’ and during the winter suspension period of December to March.)

7. Presenting garden waste bins

Garden waste bin(s) must be presented at the curtilage on the boundary of the property (identified by the postal address) by 7am on the day of collection. The garden waste bin(s) are to be placed at the same point as the recycling collection service bin(s) for collection on their respective day of collection.
All garden waste bins must be clearly visible from the road, without any obstructions, away from hedges and walls.
After emptying, we will return the garden waste bins to the boundary of the property. It is the resident’s responsibility to ensure that the garden waste bins are brought back onto their property the same day.
Properties that have an agreed assisted collection that has been arranged by the council, must place the garden waste bin at the agreed collection point by 7am on the specified collection day.

8. Assisted collections (help to put your bin out)

An assisted collection service is available upon request for eligible households.

9. Missed garden waste bins

Garden waste bins are to be presented for collection by 7am on the designated day of collection.
If garden waste bins are not presented by 7am on the day of collection, in the agreed location, garden waste bins cannot be reported as missed and will not be considered as a ‘missed’ collection. Responsibility for disposal of the garden waste will then become that of the householder.
In the event of sustained adverse weather such as severe snow and ice, the service may be suspended. Attempts will be made to return and empty the bin where practicable, however, collections cannot be guaranteed. There will be no refunds in any circumstances where collections do not take place.
Where householders do not present their garden waste bin for collection in accordance with the Council’s requirements, the householder will have the following options:
- take the garden waste to the Household Waste Recycling Centre (the tip);
- store the garden waste until the next collection day;
All garden waste must be presented safely and suitably in the bin provided on the next collection day.
The council does not return for individual missed bins should the vehicle have been proven to have serviced the relevant street.

10. Moving house

The scheme relates to a collection service from a particular property or household. The service is not transferable either within or outside Darlington.
If you move house, the garden waste bin must be left at the property.

11. What can be put in your garden waste bin: acceptable material, contamination and overweight garden waste bins.

Only loose garden waste may be placed in the garden waste bin. Garden waste includes:
- grass cuttings,
- flowers, small tree branches,
- loose leaves,
- shrub and hedge trimmings
but not large branches (greater than 7 cm in diameter), and no turf, earth, soil, stones, gravel or similar. The garden waste must not be placed in plastic bags or any other sort of packaging, as this affects the composting process and contaminates the resultant compost.
Contaminated garden waste bins (for example bins containing incorrect materials) will not be emptied. If the bin is contaminated it is your responsibility to remove the items of contamination before the next collection. If the contamination continues, the Council may remove the bin without refund.
Garden waste bins that are overflowing or overweight will not be emptied. A sticker will be placed on the bin by the crew to identify it as being overweight when they are either not able to move the garden waste bins, or the vehicle is not able to lift the bin to empty it. If the bin is too full or overweight, it is the householder’s responsibility to remove the item(s) prior to the next collection. If the householder fails to do so we may remove the bin without refund.
The bin lid must be closed when presented for collection.
No side waste will be collected, no extra garden waste next to the bin or balanced on the lid.

12. Your right to cancel the service

If you subscribe to this service online or over the telephone you have a 14 day cooling off period whereby you can cancel free of charge minus any funds for services already provided. You must not have received a collection in the 14 day period to qualify for a cancellation.

Requests to cancel the service must be in writing to:

Environmental Services
Support Services
17 Allington Way
Darlington
DL1 4QB

Cancellations cannot be accepted by telephone.

13. Statutory Rights

These terms and conditions of the Garden Waste Collections Service do not affect your statutory rights.

14. Privacy Notice and Data Protection Statement

What information we collect

We collect information about you when you subscribe to this service; the information collected is detailed below.

Name
Property address
Email address
Telephone number (landline and/or mobile)

How we will use this information

When you subscribe to the service, we collect information about you to allow us to provide the service and to allow us to contact you in relation to the renewal of your current subscription and customer feedback.

In the future we may need to contact you in relation to relevant service updates or subscribing to future schemes for examples: mechanical failure with one vehicle. Therefore, we would contact you via email as traditional mail would not be practical.

Your personal data

Your personal details will not be passed to any other organisation or third party. We may contact you regarding other waste related service or products offered by us that we feel may be of interest or to participate in customer satisfaction surveys.

Further information

Information regarding the Generation Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) can be found on the council’s data protection and freedom of information pages

15. Variation of terms

The council reserves the right to vary these terms and conditions at any time. Any changes will be published on the council’s website.
The council reserves the right to withdraw its service at any time. The council will give one month’s notice should the withdrawal be permanent. No refund will be issued and the bin will be removed.

16. Bad Weather

Please note that as we approach the latter end of the collection season (November/December), we may encounter sub-zero temperatures that can result in your garden waste freezing and sticking in your bin. In this instance if your garden waste bin has not been emptied after the vehicle has serviced your street, please leave your bin out and we will attempt to return (time allowing) later that day.