Terms and conditions for green garden waste collections

This agreement is made between:

  • you, the person registering for the garden-waste collection service (the service); and
  • us, the London Borough of Barking and Dagenham.

By entering into this agreement, you are agreeing to the following terms and conditions and to pay for the service.

1        Description of the service

a        The service is only available for kerbside collections from residential properties with their own gardens. The service is not available for business premises, allotments or flats without attached gardens.

b        Once we have received your payment for the service, we will send you your permit. A calendar setting out the dates your garden waste will be collected will be printed on this permit. 

c         If any of the collection dates will change, we’ll tell you beforehand. We will also put notice of the change on our website

d        We offer an assisted garden-waste collection service for residents who are currently receiving assisted collections for their household waste and recycling.

e        We can withdraw the garden-waste collection service at any time if there are not enough registered customers to cover the cost of providing the service. If this happens, we will refund your payment to the card you used to make it.

2        Payments

a        The price for the service is £50 a year.

b        You must pay for the service in advance.

c         If you do not pay the full amount on or before 14 February 2024, your first collection could be delayed by up to 10 working days.  This will reduce the total number of collections provided by the service.

d        We will not refund the payment for the garden-waste collection service, unless we withdraw the service under clause 1e above.

e        You must pay for the service by debit card or credit card through our website at www.lbbd.gov.uk.

3        Putting out garden waste

a        The green bin must be placed in the front garden of your property between 8pm the night before the collection and 6am on the day of the collection.  If the bin is not out by 6am, we will not return until the next scheduled collection date.

b        We cannot collect bins from end-of-terrace side alleyways or mid-terrace alleyways. 

c        The crew must be able to get to the green bin safely, without any obstructions. 

d        The garden-waste permit must be displayed on the front of the green bin.  Make sure that the handle of the bin is facing your property and the front of the bin is facing the road, so that the crew can see the permit. 

e        By accepting these terms and conditions you are giving the crew permission to enter your front garden to get and return your green bin.

f         We will only collect garden waste that is in a green bin with the appropriate permit on the front of it.

g        Garden waste must be placed loosely in the green bin – do not squash it down. You must not put plastic bags in the green bin. You can put the following in your green bin.

  • Cut flowers
  • Weeds and leaves
  • Grass cuttings
  • Twigs and hedge trimmings

h        You cannot put the following in the green bin.

  • Fruit that has fallen in the garden
  • Plastic
  • Soil
  • Stones or rubble
  • General household waste
  • Food waste (including fruit and vegetable peelings)

If you put items that are not acceptable into the green bin, we will not empty it.  You will need to remove the items before we will empty it.  We will return on the next scheduled collection date.

        If you regularly put unacceptable items in the green bin, we can take the bin off you without giving you a refund.

j         All the garden waste must be inside the green bin with the lid closed. We will not collect waste that is on or near the bin.

4        Missed collections

a        If we do not empty the green bins in your area because of circumstances beyond our control (road closures, roadworks, police incidents or accidents and so on), leave the green bin out for two working days. We will return to your property in this time. 

b        If we do not empty your green bin when we have collected others in the area, and this is not because it contains unacceptable items or has not been left for us properly, you must report this to us from 10pm on your normal collection day until 6pm the following working day.  Please report this by filling in the form on our website at www.lbbd.gov.uk.  If you cannot fill in the form online, call our contact centre on 0208 215 3000.  You cannot report a missed collection by email.

c         We investigate all reported missed collections before we come back out.  If we agree to another collection, we will try to do this within two working days of your report. However, this is not guaranteed. We will not refund any amount for missed collections. 

d        Please note that we may take photos of missed collections to make sure that any problems with you not leaving your bin in the correct place, putting unacceptable items in the bin, or any other issues, can be solved.  However, there may be some circumstances where we cannot take photographs.

e        If you have correctly reported two or more missed collections, we will place your address on our monitoring list.  For the next two collections, a supervisor will visit and check that your bin has been emptied. If it hasn’t, the supervisor will take a photo to record this and any possible reason why.

5        Unwanted green bins

a        If you do not want to use the garden-waste service, we will take back your green bin. If you sign up to the service you should keep using the green bin you already have.

b        We keep a stock of recycled 140-litre green bins and distribute these to new customers who do not currently have a green bin.

c         Your green bin will remain our property, unless you have bought a 240-litre bin from us and have proof of this.

d        You are allowed to have up to three green bins.  Each bin will need to display a permit that costs £50.

6        Moving home

a        You can transfer the service to a new address if this is within the borough. You must give us proof of your change of address at least 14 days before you move.

b        If you move to a property outside of the borough you should let us know. We will not pay any refund, and the service will continue for the address you have left until the permit runs out.

c         New residents can sign up to the service before Friday 18 October 2024. After this date, new residents should dispose of their garden waste through the Reuse and Recycling Centre at Frizlands Lane Depot, Rainham Road North, Dagenham, RM10 7HX. Opening and closing times are shown on the website at www.eastlondonwaste.gov.uk/frizlands-lane/.

7        Liability

a        We will not be liable for green bins used for any purpose other than disposing of garden waste. If you misuse your bin, we may take it back without giving you a refund.

b        Once we have collected your garden waste it becomes our property.

Privacy notice

We are committed to making sure that your personal information is protected, respected and used as allowed by law.

Our role

We are the data controller, meaning that we are responsible for how and why personal information is collected, used and held. We are registered with the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO), with registration number Z7517364.

The following information tells you about what we do with your information when you sign up to the garden-waste collection service.

How we use your personal information

In order to provide you with the service, we have to process certain information from you. This processing includes collecting, using, sharing (where necessary and allowed), storing and destroying your information.

The information we collect includes your name, address, phone number and email address. 

We will use this information for the following purposes.

  • To give collection crews your address so they can collect your garden waste.
  • To give you information relating to the service.
  • To let you know your collection schedule and how we provide the service. 
  • To contact you before your permit runs out, so you can sign up to the service for another year if you want to.
  • To manage complaints.
  • To prevent fraud or the misuse of permits.
  • To co-ordinate with our bin-replacement service.
  • For reporting purposes, such as reviewing our performance.

Online payments are processed through GOV.UK Pay, a secure online payment service, so we do not have your card details. To learn more about how payments are processed through GOV.UK Pay, see the privacy notice at www.payments.service.gov.uk/privacy/.

Lawful reasons for processing your personal information

There are a number of lawful reasons (legal bases) which allow us to process your information.  The legal basis for us processing your information is to keep to this agreement with you.

Protecting your personal information

We try to make sure that we keep to all data-protection laws that apply, such as the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018. 

We have appropriate security systems and controls in place to prevent unauthorised access to your information (for example, from hacking). However, we cannot guarantee that the personal information you provide online will be secure.

.Sharing your personal information

We will not share your information with third parties unless we have to do so by law or we have your permission.

Keeping your personal information

We will only keep your information for as long as is necessary, for the purpose it was collected, and in line with legal requirements.

We will keep your personal information, including your name, addresses, phone number and email address, for 72 months after the service ends.

Cookies

We use cookies (small text files that we place on your device when you use our website) to help us run our website and analyse how people use it. To learn more about cookies, see our General Privacy Notice.

Your individual rights

To find out more about your rights in connection with the personal information we collect, or to raise a concern, see our General Privacy Notice.