Terms and conditions
Thank you for subscribing to the kerbside garden waste collection service with South Holland District Council (SHDC). By subscribing, you are agreeing to the following terms and conditions for the subscription period. You are advised to read through this document as it will enable you to best utilise this service.
1. Service description - Wheeled Bin
1.1. You have agreed to pay South Holland District Council (SHDC) the standard charge of £57 to collect your garden waste in a brown wheeled bin and a £17.50 charge to cover the delivery, repairs and loan of the bin, newsletters and further offers.
1.2. Subject to collection constraints, second wheeled bins will be available for £33 for a period that ends at the same time as the first wheeled bin subscription at a property.
1.3. Households may sign up for a maximum of two wheeled bins.
1.4. It is the householder's responsibility on point of subscription to confirm their suitability for a wheeled bin. To be suitable, properties must have an area where the bin can be stored safely, securely and out of the public view from the highway.
1.5. On delivery of bin(s), should a household be assessed as being unsuitable for a collection using a wheeled bin a card will be left at the property advising of this. The subscription payment will then be transferred to the proportionate number of paper sacks.
1.6. It will be the Council's final decision of which households are suitable for wheeled bins and unless a situation has changed those properties will remain unsuitable.
1.7. This service is only for garden waste from residential properties.
1.8. Subscriptions run for a 12 month period of 24 fortnightly collections. No collections will be made over the Christmas / New Year period. Please see the collection calendar for exact dates.
1.9. No concession rates are available.
1.10. Full payment will be taken before you receive the service.
1.11. Payment can only be made by credit or debit card.
1.12. Subscriptions can be made online at www.sholland.gov.uk/gardenwaste
1.13. Residents will be given the start date of their collections on successful completion of subscription.
1.14. You have the right to cancel this service within 14 days of sign up. This does not affect your statutory rights. If you cancel this service your brown bin will not be emptied. Following the 14 day cooling-off period, no refunds will be given. To cancel, please email garden.waste@sholland.gov.uk.
1.15. We aim to deliver bin(s) within 10 working days of the completion of a successful subscription.
1.16. SHDC accepts that, on occasion, a bin may not be emptied. If your bin has not been emptied, please report this via our website as soon as possible, but within 3 working days of the scheduled collection date. If SHDC records show this is a genuine missed collection, we will return to the address to empty the brown bin the next working day.
1.17. If wrong materials are put in the bin, the bin will be stickered asking you to remove the unacceptable items. The bin will then be emptied on the next scheduled collection day.
1.18. It is your responsibility to routinely check the SHDC website for changes and updates to the garden waste collection service.
1.19. Although reminders will be given, subscription renewal is your responsibility. Failure to renew the subscription will result in the garden waste service being cancelled for your property.
1.20. Should a renewal payment not be made within 5 working days an action will be sent through to the supervisor to retrieve the bin(s) at the property. Should the supervisor be unable to get access to the bins he will leave a card to say he will call back and the bin(s) must be made available otherwise an invoice will be sent to the household to pay £25 for each of the bins on loan to them. These bins will then not be able to be used thereafter for collections made by the Council.
1.21. Assisted collections are available for the garden waste collection service.
2. Legislation regarding the collection of garden waste
2.1. In contrast to the black refuse sacks and the green recycling sacks, garden waste collections are classified as a discretionary service under the Controlled Waste (England and Wales) Regulations 2012. This means that councils are not required by law to provide this kerbside service free of charge.
2.2. The regulation also states that garden waste is classified as a type of waste for which a charge may be applied for its collection.
2.3. The charge enables councils such as SHDC to offer the kerbside collection of garden waste without reducing the funding available to other services.
3. Information relating to the brown (garden waste) wheeled bin
3.1. Kerbside collections will only be made from bins supplied by SHDC. This is to comply with safety requirements and to prevent damage to the collection vehicles. Only waste contained within the brown bin will be collected.
3.2. Brown bins and their contents should weigh less than 75kgs each; the lid should be fully closed, and the bin should be easily mobile and undamaged. Bins not complying with these requirements will not be collected.
3.3. The brown bins provided will be of 240 litres capacity (W 580mm x H 1100mm x D 740mm) It remains your responsibility to safely store your bin(s) between collections.
3.4. Bins should be presented by 7.00 am on the scheduled collection day in a prominent and accessible position on the kerbside but without blocking the pavement. SHDC will not return for bins that are not presented or accessible at the time of collection.
3.5. Bins should not be presented any earlier than 6pm the night before collection.
3.6. The bin should be retrieved as soon as possible after it is emptied and returned to within your property.
3.7. SHDC retains ownership of all bins provided, and the service may be withdrawn if the bin is misused.
3.8. Bins are provided in a clean and usable condition. it is your responsibility to check the bin for faults upon delivery and ensure it remains in clean and usable condition.
3.9. SHDC accepts no responsibility for any personal injury or damage to personal property caused by the bin whilst it is in your possession.
3.10. If a bin is damaged by the collection process SHDC will repair or replace it free of charge as soon as is reasonably possible once reported to SHDC. Our aim is to repair / replace damaged bins within 5 working days (please note that refurbished clean bins may be delivered depending on current stock levels).
4. What goes in the brown bin?
4.1. The brown bin(s) must only be used for household garden waste. Please refer to the garden waste collection page on the SHDC website for information on what can be placed within the brown bin.
4.2. All garden waste must be loose within the brown bin. Bags or liners (including compostable or biodegradable liners) are not acceptable and will be classified as contamination. Soil and fertiliser are also unacceptable as this doesn't compost.
4.3. It is your responsibility to prevent invasive species, for example Japanese Knotweed, from being placed in the brown bin(s).
4.4. Do not compact bins with waste, as only one attempt to empty a brown bin will be made; and any waste remaining in the bin will be left.
4.5. During cold weather garden waste may become frozen within the brown bin. Garden waste remaining in the bin after an attempted collection will be left and SHDC will not return before the next scheduled collection. SHDC accepts no responsibility for personal injury or damage to the bin following attempts by you to dislodge frozen garden waste.
5. Moving house
5.1. If you move house either within the SHDC district or beyond you must inform the council.
5.2. If you are moving within the district then, you may be able to transfer the subscription and take the wheeled bin(s) with you. This is providing that the property you are moving to is on a garden waste collection route.
5.3. If you are unable to transport the bin(s) delivery can be arranged for a charge of £10 per property (irrespective of number of bins).
5.4. If a householder moves out of the SHDC district, the service will be cancelled, unless the subscription is transferred to the new occupiers. If cancelled, the bin(s) must be made available for removal from the property; otherwise, a £25 invoice will be sent to the householder's new address or lodged against their name. It will not be the responsibility of new occupiers to pay this charge.
5.5. No refunds will be issued due to moving house.
6. Sharing bins
6.1. Brown bin(s) may be shared among neighbours; however SHDC will only collect garden waste from brown bin(s) placed outside the registered household.
6.2. Any agreement made between two householders will be deemed a private agreement; SHDC will not be held responsible for disputes resulting from such agreements.
7. Unforeseen circumstances
7.1. All attempts will be made to collect garden waste on the scheduled date, however if unforeseen circumstances or severe weather makes collections impractical or unsafe, SHDC reserves the right to suspend collections.
7.2. Should collections be missed due to circumstances beyond SHDC's control, every effort will be made to re-schedule the collection. Under these circumstances residents are requested to check the SHDC website for updates or contact Customer Contact.
7.3. SHDC retains the right to amend collection dates, should this prove necessary due to factors outside of its reasonable control; this includes but is not limited to road closure, strikes, fire, and breakdown of plant or machinery. All efforts will be made to maintain regular collections.
7.4. No refunds will be issued for missed collections.
8. Service description - Paper Sacks
8.1. For those households, within the area, who do not generate enough garden waste to warrant a collection every two weeks or for households that do not have space for a wheeled bin, a paper sack collection can be used.
8.2. Paper sacks will be available to purchase in packs of 10 for £15. A delivery charge of £5.00 will be made, irrespective of the number of sacks ordered at one time. We aim to deliver ordered sacks within 10 working days. Sacks cannot be collected from the council offices.
8.3. The address of the household that will be presenting sacks will need to be taken so that this can be flagged on the In Cab Technology system so that crews can be aware sacks may be presented.
8.4. Payment can only be made by credit/debit card.
8.5. The sacks are for the collection of garden waste only and are biodegradable. Due to their makeup, the sacks should be stored.in a dry place. Please be aware that damp sacks tear and will not be replaced. We recommend not filling the bags with garden waste until at most 48 hours before collection day.
8.6. Damaged/decomposed sacks will not be collected.
8.7. Sacks need to be presented by7.00am on collection day and no earlier than 6pm the night before. Please note that the time of day your sack is collected may vary from week to week.
8.8. A maximum of 4 paper sacks should be presented for collection at any one time.
9. What goes in the Paper Sacks?
9.1. The paper sacks must only be used for household garden waste. The same items can be placed in the paper sacks as can be placed in the brown wheeled bin. Please refer to the garden waste collection page on the SHDC website for details.
9.2. Soil and fertiliser should not be placed in the sacks as they do not compost.
9.3 It is the householder's responsibility to ensure that invasive species e.g. Japanese Knotweed, are not placed in the sacks.
9.4. Paper sacks are of 75 litre capacity (60 x25 x80cm).
9.5. Sacks should not be overloaded and closed to ensure collection Small branches and twigs can go in the sacks but nothing over 2" / 50mm in diameter.
9.6. Only garden waste in SHDC paper sacks will be collected within this scheme.
9.7. If incorrect materials are put in the sacks, the sacks will be stickered asking you to remove the unacceptable items. The sacks will then be collected on the next scheduled collection day.
10. Miscellaneous
10.1. Customers use the brown bin(s) and paper sacks at their own risk.
10.2. SHDC retains the right to make reasonable amendments to the above terms and conditions.
10.3 Website access is available utilising the booths located in the reception area of SHDC offices in Priory Road, Spalding. The booths are available to customers during office hours.
10.4 If you require any more information on the charged garden waste collection service please contact Customer Contact.