Terms and conditions
This Contract will run for 12 months from the Service commencement date and can be renewed annually. The Council reserves the right to amend any of these terms and conditions upon giving reasonable notice.
Service commencement
To ensure there is sufficient time to process the payment and deliver a garden waste container, the subscription start date will be calculated at the point of application.
Where a customer signs up and pays by debit or credit card on or before the fourteenth of the month, the garden waste service will commence from the first Monday of the following month.
For sign up and payments made by debit or credit card on or after the fifteenth of the month, the garden waste service will commence from the first Monday of the month after the following month. As an example, if you sign up and pay by debit or credit card on 20 July, the garden waste service will commence from the first Monday of September.
Where a customer signs up and pays by Direct Debit on or before the fourteenth of the month, the payment will be taken on the first of the following month or the closest working day after the first of that month. The garden waste service will commence from the first Monday following receipt of the payment, which is the first Monday of the following month.
For sign up and payment by Direct Debit on or after the fifteenth of the month, the garden waste service will commence from the first Monday of the month after the following month. As an example if you sign up and pay by Direct Debit on 20 July, the payment will be taken on 1 September and the garden waste service will commence from the first Monday of September.
Please note, the date your garden waste service commences is not the same as the date of your first collection.
Payments and service subscription
Direct Debit renewal payments will be taken on the anniversary of the Customer’s original payment, for example, if payment is made on the 1 September 2022 the renewal payment will be taken on 1 September 2023.
Where a Direct Debit collection fails, we will automatically request that the payment is made again the following month. In the event this fails, the Customer will be required to make payments by another means.
Cancellation
Where the Customer signs up for the Service over the phone or online, the Customer will have 14 days to cancel this Contract from the day after the agreed Service. All cancellations must be recorded by calling our customer service team and can only be done by the person named in the Contract.
The Customer cannot transfer their obligations under this Contract to another individual or household as it is strictly between the Council and the Customer. The Customer shall promptly notify the Council of any changes in circumstances such as moving house or a new address within or outside Tunbridge Wells Borough
Note: Each subscription entitles the Customer to one 240L black bin or three x 90L black hessian sacks to be used for garden waste only. A smaller 140L black bin is available instead of a 240L black bin and is provided at the Council’s discretion.
The container size cannot be changed during the period of the Contract. Each property may be supplied with up to three black bins for garden waste; each bin provided will be charged for separately. Additional bundles of three hessian sacks may be supplied up to a maximum of nine sacks. Each bundle of three sacks will be charged for separately.
The cost
The annual charge for new Customers or Customers renewing their subscriptions will be published on the Council’s website and updated at least one month in advance of any change.
Payment for the Service is required annually in advance and the price will be based as at the date of application. The Council reserves the right to vary the collection charge, usually on an annual basis, although not during the subscription year.
Non-payment will result in suspension of the Service. The bins or sacks will be retrieved if a Customer fails to pay for the Service. If the bins or sacks are not recoverable for any reason, the Customer is liable to pay the Council for the cost of the bins or sacks plus an administration fee.
Any payment made for the Garden Waste Service is non-refundable. Refunds are not available for withdrawing from the scheme during the subscription year.
The assessment
The Council reserves the right to assess applications to determine whether a Customer’s property is suitable for the wheeled bin service. It will be deemed suitable for a wheeled bin for Garden Waste unless:
There is no space to put the additional wheeled bin, for example, there is a place at the front of the property but it will cause an unacceptable obstruction to gain access to or exit from the premises to the highway;
There is suitable storage at the rear of the property but there is no way of wheeling the bin to the collection point, for example, the only access is through the house; and
There is no access and/or there will be an unacceptable obstruction on the highway.
If a Customer’s property is assessed as unsuitable for wheeled bin collections and currently receives ‘sack’ collections, the Customer can subscribe to the Service and receive three black 90L re-usable bags for the storage and presentation of garden waste. This gives a capacity of up to 270L per collection. The reusable garden bag collection is charged at the same rate as a wheeled bin subscription. Sack collections are open to residents who choose to have them even if they are eligible for a wheeled bin.
The service
The service is for garden waste only which will be collected every two weeks throughout the year, totalling 26 collections per year. Collections may take place on alternative days if the collection date falls on a public holiday.
In the event of circumstances beyond the control of the Council’s contractor, the Council reserves the right to suspend collections and no refund will be given; the Council also reserves the right not to extend the contract. Notice of any such suspension of Service will be posted on our website.
Missed collections must be reported to the Council within two working days of the scheduled collection date for the property. If a missed collection is reported more than two working days after the scheduled collection date, the bin or sacks will not be emptied. Report missed collection online.
Only bins and sacks provided by the Council will be emptied and collected under this scheme. Bins or sacks must be presented at the boundary of the property by 7am on the specified garden waste collection day for the property. Bins or sacks which are not presented in time will not be emptied until the next scheduled garden waste collection day for the property. No refunds will be made in these circumstances. The bins or sacks must be presented containing approved garden waste only.
Assisted collections are available where Customers are physically unable to present the garden waste bins or sacks at the boundary of the property. Applications for this service can be made online.
Moving house
If a Customer relocates to another property within the borough, the bins or sacks at the old property must not be moved from that property. It is the Customer’s responsibility to inform the Council of any changes of address.
If a Customer moves within the Tunbridge Wells borough area, the Council will deliver new bins or sacks to the new address. No additional charge will be made.
If a customer moves outside the Tunbridge Wells borough area, the service will be terminated from the date of vacation. No refunds will be issued in this circumstance.
The containers must be left at the boundary of the old property to enable them to be collected from the date of vacation.
Definition of garden waste
The approved list of what constitutes garden waste is as follows:
- Grass cuttings
- Hedge clippings
- Small tree pruning, branches, bark and twigs
- Tree branches (up to 3" or 7.5cm in diameter)
- Moss, weeds (but not controlled weeds such as Japanese Knotweed and Ragwort)
- Flowers
- Plants with excessive soil removed
- Small amounts of fallen fruit (windfall fruit)
- Leaves
- Real Christmas trees (without decorations or pot)
The Garden Waste Collection Service is for domestic household garden waste only and is not for use by commercial gardening services. Waste produced in domestic gardens by commercial gardeners will be classified as commercial waste.
No side waste will be accepted outside the black bin or sacks except for a Christmas tree with a trunk of no more than 3” (7.5cm) in diameter during the month of January.
Bins or sacks that are considered to be too heavy for safe handling and emptying will not be emptied. These can then only be emptied on the next scheduled collection day, provided that the weight of the bin or sack has been reduced. It is the Customer’s responsibility to sort the contents of the bin or sack and reduce weight. No refunds will be made in these circumstances.
Bins or sacks which contain plastic bags or incorrect waste will not be emptied. It is the Customer’s responsibility to remove contaminated waste prior to your next scheduled garden waste collection.
The lid of the bin and sack must be kept closed for it to be collected. We cannot accept bins with waste protruding out of the top of the bin. All garden waste to be collected must be contained within the garden waste bin or sack.
If the bins or sacks are used for any purpose other than for their intended garden waste purpose, the Council will not accept liability for loss or injury caused under such circumstances. If bins or sacks are misused, they may be removed with no refund of fees paid. A charge may be levied for the replacement of bins or sacks that have been damaged by the Customer.
All bins and sacks remain the property of the Council and must be surrendered on request.
If the bins or sacks become faulty, the Customer must report the fault to the Council promptly by completing our “order new or replacement bins” form online or contacting the customer service team on 01892 526121.