Garden waste collection service terms and conditions

Please read the terms and conditions before you sign up to our garden waste collection service. Please keep a copy of this for your records.

The garden waste collection service

1. A garden waste collection service will take place every two weeks on a specified day across 50 weeks, excluding the weeks in which Christmas Day and New Year's Day fall.
2. Upon subscription to the service the council will issue a 240 litre bin. Alternatively, the council will provide reusable sacks with the equivalent volume if the property is unsuitable for a garden waste bin.
3. From 2027 and for all subsequent years, a sticker will be issued to customers upon receipt of payment for the garden waste service. The customer is responsible for ensuring that the sticker is firmly attached to the body of the garden waste bin, at the back of the garden waste bin, underneath the pulling handles. If the sticker is not displayed on the garden waste bin, the council reserves the right not to empty that garden waste bin. If the sticker is lost or damaged, a replacement sticker can be provided at the customer cost. For customers using reusable sacks an alternative identification tag will be provided and must be attached to at least one of the reusable sacks placed out for collection at the subscription address.
4. Garden waste bins or sacks should be placed at the boundary of the property closest to the public highway by 6.30am on the day of collection, unless alternative arrangements have been agreed.
5. It is the customer's responsibility to ensure you have paid for the service at the correct address. Garden waste bins or sacks must be put out for collection at the subscription address or at the agreed collection point for the subscription address. If garden waste bins or sacks are not present at the time of collection, we will not return to collect it.
6. Only garden waste bins or sacks provided by the council will be emptied.
7. The garden waste bins remain the property of the council. The customer will be responsible for the cost of replacement due to loss or damage of the council's garden waste bins other than that caused by the emptying process.
8. The customer must only put loose garden waste in the garden waste bins or sacks. Waste in bags of any kind, placed in the garden waste bins or sacks will not be collected. A current list of the items the council considers garden waste can be found on the council's website at www.herefordshire.gov.uk/gardenwaste.
9. The customer shall be responsible for maintaining the cleanliness of the garden waste bins.
10. All waste must be contained within the garden waste bins or sacks provided. Any waste not contained in a garden waste bin or sack will not be collected.
11. Garden waste sacks must not weigh more than 14kg per sack and/or the contents should not exceed the level of the height of the sack, excluding the handles. Garden waste sacks exceeding this weight will not be emptied. The customer will be responsible for removing the contents and re-presenting the garden waste sacks that are manageable for emptying on the next collection date.
12. Garden waste bins that are too heavy for the mechanical lift will not be collected or emptied if collection operatives consider there is a risk of injury to operatives or damage to the bin, mechanical lift or other collection equipment. The customer will be responsible for removing the contents and re-presenting the garden waste bins that are manageable for the emptying process on the next collection date.
13. Due to the mechanical methods used to empty bins, the bin lids must be fully closed. Garden waste bins put out with the lids not fully closed may not be emptied. The customer will be responsible for removing the contents and re-presenting the garden waste bins with the lid fully closed for emptying on the next collection date.
14. If a garden waste bin is not fully emptied by the mechanical bin lift, due to compacted waste, frozen garden waste, there will be no return visit until the next collection day. The customer will be responsible for removing the contents and re-presenting the garden waste bins for emptying on the next collection date.
15. Should collections be missed due to circumstances beyond the council's or the customer's control, every effort will be made to arrange an alternative collection. However, the council shall have no liability to the customer if it is unable to provide such alternative collection.
16. Missed collections must be reported to the council within 2 working days of the scheduled collection day.
17. If the garden waste bins or sacks is/are contaminated with other household waste, the garden waste will not be emptied and the garden waste bins or sacks will be tagged. The crew do not return to collect garden waste in this circumstance. The customer will be responsible for removing the contents and re-presenting the garden waste bins or sacks without the household or contamination waste for emptying on the next collection date.
18. After subscribing, the customer will be informed of their first collection day and schedule. For subsequent years of the service, collection calendars can be accessed and printed.
19. The council reserves the right to change the collection day subject to providing the customer with written notification via the email provided at the time of requesting the service or through notice on the council's website at www.herefordshire.gov.uk/recycling where no email address has been provided.
20. The council reserves the right to withdraw or not provide the garden waste service if your property or the access to it is unsuitable for the provision of the garden waste service.
21. If the customer's property is no longer suitable for a garden waste collection, the council reserves the right to change the collection point and notify the customer of any change, prior to any decision to withdraw the service entirely in accordance with clause 20.

Set up and payment

22. The customer will pay the agreed charge for the garden waste service provided in accordance with the following conditions. The charge covers the cost of emptying one garden waste bin or up to 4 x 60 litre reusable sacks per collection and in the first year will include an additional fee for delivery of the garden waste bins or sacks. Additional garden waste subscriptions for addition garden waste bin or sack collection can be made at the same property up to a maximum of five.
23. Charges are set annually from the 1 April each year and customers will be notified of any annual price change at least 14 days prior to payment being due in February via the email provided at the time of requesting the service.
24. The first payment is to be made upon subscription to the service and is then made annually in advance by direct debit in February each year. The direct debit reference shown will be Hereford Debtors or Hereford UA on your bank statement. In exceptional circumstances an alternative method of payment may be agreed in advance by the council.
25. If a direct debit payment fails, the council will automatically attempt to take payment again within 10 days.
26. If payment is not received before the garden waste service start date, the garden waste bins or sacks will not be provided and if a garden waste bin is at the property it will be removed and the service will not be provided. The council reserves the right to invoice the customer for the cost of the garden waste bin if the garden waste bin is not available for removal at the arranged time and place.
27. Any outstanding charges or invoices due to the council may be collected as a debt.
28. This agreement shall continue in force until the cancellation of the waste collection service by the customer or termination of the waste collection service by the council.

Cancellation of the service

29. The customer has a 14-day cooling off period starting from the date of requesting the garden waste service. During this time, the customer may contact the council to cancel the service, setting out the decision to cancel the contract, email garden@herefordshire.gov.uk In the event of cancellation under this clause the customer will receive a full refund of the charges paid by them.
30. If payment is not received to renew the service by the deadline stated in the renewal notice, the service will be automatically cancelled. The garden waste bin at the property will be removed. The council reserves the right to invoice the customer for the cost of the garden waste bin if the garden waste bin is not available for removal at the arranged time and place.
31. If a customer wishes to discontinue their garden waste service or is moving to an area not covered by this garden waste service, they must contact the council to cancel the garden waste service and request the removal of their garden waste bin(s). The council reserves the right to invoice the customer for the cost of the bin if the garden waste bin is not available for removal at the arranged time and place.
32. A subscription is non-transferable between customers.
33. A direct debit can be cancelled at any time by the customer contacting their bank or building society. The customer must notify the council that they have cancelled their direct debit through our online form or call to customer services.
34. Cancellation of a direct debit will result in the garden waste bin being removed at the end of the subscription period.
35. If a customer changes their mind on cancelling their garden waste service and the garden waste bin has been removed from the property, there will be an additional charge payable to re-deliver the garden waste bin and reinstate the service.
36. No refunds or part-refunds will be made when the customer cancels the garden waste service.
37. The council do not tolerate violent, aggressive or abusive verbal or non-verbal behaviour towards our staff. Any incidents reported by the council's waste collection service provider will result in the immediate cancellation of the garden waste service. No refunds or part-refunds will be made when the service is cancelled for this reason. In serious cases of violent, aggressive or abusive verbal or non-verbal behaviour, the incident may be referred to the police.
38. Where the council considers the customer to be in breach of the terms and condition of this service, the council will notify the customer of that breach giving them 14 days to rectify that breach. If the customer fails to rectify the breach to the council's reasonable satisfaction, the council reserves the right to cancel a customer's garden waste service. No refunds or part-refunds will be made.
39. The council reserves the right to withdraw the garden waste collection service at any time. No refund will be issued and the garden waste bin will be removed.

Moving address within Herefordshire

40. If you move to another address within Herefordshire, and you wish to continue to use the garden waste collection service you must take your bin or sacks with you and amend your address by contacting the council to notify them of a change, email garden@herefordshire.gov.uk
41. If you move to another address within Herefordshire, and do not wish to continue to use the garden waste service you must contact the council to cancel the garden waste service and request the removal of the garden waste bin(s). The council reserves the right to invoice the customer for the cost of the bin if the garden waste bin is not available for removal at the arranged time and place.