The Agreement
This agreement sets out the terms and conditions of Falkirk Council's garden waste permit.
By agreeing to pay for the service you will be accepting these terms and conditions. In these conditions 'Council' means Falkirk Council. 'Customer' means the person to whom the garden waste collection service is provided in respect of their request for the service received from the Council.
Contract period
The collection period will operate from the first Monday in April to the last Friday in November each year.
The fee will be set annually, with a permit required for each individual brown bin.
Collections will be made every 4 weeks on the scheduled uplift day and customers are advised to check their collection calendar.
The customer should check the garden waste (brown bin) page in regards to the renewal of the permit along with details and charges payable for the collection period.
Payments
Payments for annual permits will be accepted as early as possible at the start of each calendar year. The garden waste (brown bin) page and social media channels will advertise when applications can be made each year.
Customers in receipt of means tested Council Tax reduction (excluding discount for single occupancy) will receive a 50% discount. No discounts or concessions are available and regardless of when the permit is purchased, either before or during the collection period, the full annual charge will apply.
Payment must be made in advance (by credit or debit card) either online (24/7) or via telephone (Monday to Friday):
The online application form will be live from 05 March 2024. .
Eligibility
The garden waste permit service applies to domestic properties in the Council area that are rated for Council Tax.
To use this service, the customer is required to have a Council brown garden waste bin, as issued by the Council with a valid permit applied. If no brown bin is present at a property this should be purchased from the Council and will only be emptied once a permit is purchased.
Please note that delivery of any bin and permit can take up to 7-14 working days, and the Council will not be held accountable for any missed collections while the customer waits for a bin to be delivered. Please by mindful of this when purchasing your garden waste permit. To find out when your brown bin will emptied visit: www.falkirk.gov.uk/binday.
Customers must have adequate storage space for bins within the boundary of their property and be able to always accommodate these.
Customers who currently receive an assisted collection in respect of other bins will continue to receive this service for their brown bin. To have the brown bin emptied you still require a valid garden waste permit.
Wheeled bin presentation
Wheeled bins must be presented at the agreed uplift point by 6:30am on the designated collection day and be presented with the lid fully closed and handles facing the kerbside. For more information visit: www.falkirk.gov.uk/recycling.
Bins which are overfilled and/or excessively heavy will not be uplifted. The collection crews will leave a sticker to advise.
The Council will not uplift any excess waste presented beside or on top of the wheeled bin.
Wheeled bins that are presented after 6:30am, resulting in a collection not being made, will not be emptied by the Council until the next scheduled collection day.
The customer is responsible for ensuring that the permit they are issued with is applied correctly to the brown bin, as per the instructions detailed on the letter sent with the permit. Information on where to place the permit can be found at www.falkirk.gov.uk/brownbin.
Garden waste permits are issued detailing a unique reference number linked to your property. They are non-transferrable and only valid when presented at the property for which they were originally purchased.
The Council has no obligation to empty bins where they do not comply with these conditions.
Missed collections
Collection restrictions or other conditions such as inclement weather beyond the Council’s control may result in service disruption or delayed collections. The Council will not be liable to the customer for failure to complete the collection services, however in such circumstances the Council will aim to empty the bin as soon as possible. Services disruptions are advertised at www.falkirk.gov.uk/disruption.
The customer should leave their wheeled bin out at the kerbside and the Council will endeavour to return and empty the bin as soon as possible. If wheeled bins are not collected within the timeframe advertised on the service disruption webpage, customers are advised to return them to their regular storage area and present them again on the next scheduled collection day for uplift, conditions permitting.
If the contents of wheeled bins are not uplifted due to waste being tightly lodged or frozen, the contents will not be collected until the next scheduled collection day, and the customer must ensure that the waste is freed or dislodged before presenting again.
The customer must ensure that the access to their wheeled bins is kept clear of snow and ice or other potential hazards.
If wheeled bins are inaccessible or form a potential risk to the safety of Council employees, the waste will not be collected, and the customer will be required to ensure that the hazards are removed, or access improved before the next scheduled collection.
Where a collection is missed inadvertently by the Council, we will attempt to return within 1 working day, subject to the customer advising the Council of the error (online www.falkirk.gov.uk/missedbin or via the Contact Centre on 01324 506070) within 24 hours of the scheduled collection date.
Only report a missed brown bin if you have a valid garden waste permit.
Security, cleanliness, maintenance and ownership of wheeled bins
The customer is responsible for the security of their wheeled bins, and for ensuring that wheeled bins are maintained in a clean and hygienic condition. Wheeled bins that are not kept in a hygienic condition may not be collected.
Customers should return their bin to the property following collection. Please do not leave bins on the kerbside where they can cause an obstruction.
The customer shall have responsibility for reporting any maintenance issues, including minor repairs such as broken wheels and lids.
Where a bin is damaged through negligence, stolen, fire damaged, vandalised or lost, the customer will be liable for the cost of a replacement bin.
If during collection your wheeled bin has been damaged by our collection crew or if it has fallen into the collection vehicle, no charge will be applied. Should either of these situations occur, our collection crews will report any damage at the point of collection, and we will arrange for the delivery of a replacement bin and replacement garden waste permit.
Bin deliveries can take up to 7-14 working days and no refunds will be payable for any collections missed while waiting for a new bin to be delivered.
Bin contents
The Council reserves the right not to empty wheeled bins that are:
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suspected of containing incorrect materials, ie contaminated
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excessively heavy or overfull
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in a condition that is dangerous, or which poses a risk to the health and safety of collection staff.
It shall be solely for the Council to determine if any bin meets any of the above criteria.
No materials, other than those specified by the Council, will be accepted in brown bins.
Full details of accepted items are available at What goes in my bins.
Where bins are deemed to be contaminated or otherwise presented incorrectly, the Council will attach a sticker to the wheeled bin to identify this. The customer is responsible for the material that is contained in their bin and will be required to remove any contamination or excess material. Should the customer do so, the wheeled bin will be collected on the next scheduled collection day.
The Council does not take any responsibility for contaminated bins and the customer shall indemnify the Council in respect of any expenses or liabilities that may arise out of any bin which is contaminated by the customer (or any third party).
The Council will apply a charge to any customer requesting an uplift of contaminated bins (which will be treated as landfill waste) before the next scheduled collection day.
Should you want your bin emptied before the next scheduled collection date, there will be charge of £15 per bin. To arrange an uplift please call the Contact Centre on 01324 506070.
Replacement permits
If your permit gets lost or is damaged, please contact the Council as soon as possible for a replacement to be issued.
To request a replacement permit you will need to provide the unique reference number located on the letter received with the original permit.
Cancellation
The contract can only be cancelled within 14 day of purchase and a full refund will be given. Refunds will be issued on receipt of the returned permit to the Council.
Thereafter the contract can be cancelled at any time, but no refunds or part refunds will be payable.
Should the permit have been issued prior to the cancellation notice being received, the customer will be liable for the cost of returning the permit to the Council.
Use of recycling centres
The customer is entitled to use the Councils recycling centres to dispose of their domestic garden waste free of charge.
Service requests, enquiries and complaints
For any service requests please report online via the Report It page, or by calling the Contact Centre on 01324 506070.
As your local Council, we are committed to providing high quality services. If something goes wrong or you are unhappy with our services, please tell us.
To make a complaint, refer to our Complaints page or contact us:
You can also make a complaint in person at your local Advice and Support Hub.
Additional guidance
For the most up-to-date information, advice on cancelled collections or to report a missed collection online please refer to Household recycling and waste collection.
We value all customer feedback and use it to help us improve our services.
Contact us with your feedback: