By agreeing to pay for the service you will be accepting the following terms and conditions:
- the scheme year runs from 1st March to 30th November. Collections will not take place from December to February, inclusive
- the payment for the garden waste collection service will be £40.00 per bin (reduced to £35 for early payment before 1st February). New subscribers cannot be accepted after 30th September
- payment will be for the period of 1st March to 30th November. Residents can join the scheme at any time throughout the subscription period, but will be charged the full cost. There will be no reduction in cost for subscriptions made during the year, where residents receive fewer collections during the period of the service
- payment is required for each bin presented for collection and each bin must display a valid collection sticker. A 240ltr garden waste (brown) bin, will be provided to the customer as part of the service. The bin remains in the ownership of Blackburn with Darwen Borough Council
- payment can be made online
- under the Consumer Contracts (Information, Cancellation and Additional Charges) Regulations 2013 (2) customers have a 14 day cancellation period from date of purchase. There are no refunds or part refunds for the cancellation of the service, part way through the year or after the 14 day cancellation period. Please note, you may need to wait 24hours before you are able to cancel your subscription, within 14 days.
- once payment has been received from a new customer, where a bin is required, we will deliver the bin within 28 days. A confirmation email, collection calendar and bin sticker will be sent to you within 28 days of payment (as an early subscriber you will need to wait till mid-February). Attach the bin sticker we send you, to the back of your brown bin, as per the instructions provided. We cannot empty any bin that does not display a valid sticker. If your sticker becomes detached, lost or stolen, you can request a replacement sticker online from February. Only bins displaying a sticker issued by the Council will be emptied. Bins placed out for collection displaying any other sticker, including copied stickers will not be emptied and the Council reserves the right to withdraw the service from the subscriber. The re-issuing of a sticker or pack that has been mislaid/lost/stolen by a resident will result in a £10.00 non-refundable administration charge
- if there is evidence of misuse of either the collection service, the garden waste (brown) bin or bin subscription sticker by the resident/household, then the Council reserves the right to withdraw the service from the subscriber with no refund offered
- the Council reserves the right to decline an application to join the service, if in the opinion of the Council, the collection service cannot be provided due to operational reasons, such as access issues for the collection vehicles. No refund will be provided if the council withdraws the service
- the Council will empty the 240ltr garden waste (brown) bin on a fortnightly basis providing a valid collection sticker is displayed on each bin presented for collection. If we miss your bin, we will do our best to collect it as soon as possible. We will not give a refund for missing a bin or being unable to collect a bin (e.g. in inclement weather or access issues). If collection schedules are altered because of public holidays, inclement weather or other such occurrences, information about collection arrangements will be kept up to date on the bins section of the Council website
- collections will usually take place on Fridays or Saturdays. The Council will issue each customer a collection calendar with their bin sticker
- collections are made according to your allocated day, although this may change in exceptional circumstances e.g. adverse weather. The Council reserves the right to alter collections if required. During periods of severe weather Blackburn with Darwen Borough Council reserves the right to suspend collections. Notice of this will be posted on the Council website and/or social media platforms
- all garden waste must be contained within the bin(s) provided by the Council. Any waste not contained in the bin(s) provided by Blackburn with Darwen Borough Council will not be collected. Additional bins can be obtained and paid for, as per the above rates
- garden waste (brown) bin(s) remain the property of the Council. If the bin is damaged through wear and tear, it is damaged during the emptying process by the crew, or if it falls into the back of the collection vehicle, or the bin is lost or stolen the Council will repair or replace the bin free of charge. Customers are advised to check with the Council in case the bin was emptied in to the back of the vehicle, check with neighbours and look out for the lost/stolen bin on the next scheduled collection
- any replacement bin, may be supplied from refurbished Council bin stocks. The registered person at the property is responsible for the general condition and cleaning of the brown bin whilst in their possession
- bin(s) should be presented on the kerbside (or designated collection point) by 7am on the day of collection, unless alternative arrangements have been made e.g. assisted collections. If the garden waste cannot be collected because the bin(s) has not been presented by 7am, the crew will not return until the next scheduled collection day and no refund will be provided. Please note, no back street collections can take place; terraced properties will be required to place their bin(s) for collection at either end of the back street, or at the front of the property
- lids of the bins containing garden waste must be fully closed when placed out for collection. The Council reserves the right not to empty containers when the lids are not fully closed as this may cause damage to the lids whilst being mechanically emptied. No refund will be made for a missed collection due to this reason
- you are responsible for the security of the wheeled bin(s). The bin(s) should be removed from the public highway (including associated pavements / footways / verges etc) as soon as possible after collection
- an assisted collection is available for residents who are physically unable to manage the brown wheeled bin(s) and where there is nobody living at the premises capable of moving the bin(s). If this service is already in place for your refuse and recycling bins, it will automatically be arranged for your brown bin(s). All bin(s) must be left in an accessible location for the collection crew to empty and return the bin from its normal position within the property boundary
- the Council reserves the right not to empty any bin(s) that in its reasonable opinion poses a health and safety hazard to the collection operatives or is overflowing or overweight. A notice will be placed on the bin by the crew to identify it as being overweight when they are either not able to move the bin, or the vehicle is not able to lift the bin to empty it. If the bin is too full or overweight it is your responsibility to remove item(s) prior to the next collection. If you fail to do so we may remove the bin
- only garden waste may be placed loosely in the brown wheeled bin. Garden waste includes grass cuttings, tree and hedge clippings, weeds, leaves, twigs and bark, dead plants and flowers, raw fruit and vegetables from the garden or rabbit bedding. Garden waste does not include soil, stones or rubble, noxious weeds such as Japanese knotweed, ragwort or giant hogweed, plastic flower pots, trays or bags, wood that has been treated or painted, vacuum dust, fire cinders or sawdust, food or kitchen waste including peelings, cat or dog faeces, shredded paper or cardboard or mixed rubbish. No plastic of any kind may be put in the bin
- any bin ‘contaminated’ with material other than garden waste will not be emptied (as this will contaminate the entire vehicle load). The resident will be notified of the issue by means of a notice left on the bin, giving the resident the opportunity to rectify the problem. The bin will not be collected until the contamination has been removed, and not before the next scheduled collection day. If a container is regularly contaminated, the Council reserves the right to remove the container and cease the collection service. No refunds will be provided if a service is removed due to regular contamination. If the list of acceptable items changes, the Council will inform you of this first
- the garden waste subscription is only valid for the property of which it was originally purchased and is non-transferable. We cannot offer a refund if you move within or outside of the district or to a property where you no longer require the garden waste service. The brown bin must remain at the address for which the subscription was taken out. If you move house (to another property within the Blackburn with Darwen Borough Council boundary), please leave the bin at your ‘old’ address; you will need to take out a new subscription for your new address
- you may cancel your subscription at any time during the subscription period. There will be no refunds if leaving part way through the year
- if you have opted to receive marketing information about the service, we will contact you in advance to renew your subscription. If you do not renew your subscription, we will withdraw your service and your bin may be removed
Data protection statement
Blackburn with Darwen Borough Council is a Data Controller under the Data Protection Act. We hold information for the purposes specified in our notification to the Information Commissioner and may use this information for any of them. We may get information about you from others, or we may give information to them. If we do, it will only be as the law permits, to check the accuracy of information, prevent fraud or detect crime or to protect public funds.