Waste collection policy

In some instances, properties may not be suitable for the standard service. This may include, but not limited to:

• flatted areas where other forms of storage would be more suitable due to the volume of 240l bins that would be required to service the properties
• there is no reasonable storage space to accommodate bins at the property
• the property is accessed via steep inclines or steps, so making it impractical to use wheeled bins
• the bins would have to be wheeled through the house to the collection point
• the adopted highway is not suitable to be accessed by the standard collection vehicle
• any other exceptional circumstance as agreed by the Council

Utilising an alternative method of collection may be proposed by the Council or residents, property owners or managers may request it.  In this instance, it will be down to the discretion of the Council to determine the alternative method of collection, though wherever possible this will be done in conjunction with the property owner, manager or resident and taking into any account any concerns raised. However, as per its entitlement under section 46 of the Environmental Protection Act it will be down to the Council's discretion as to how it collects waste from a property and consequently will make the final decision as to what service the property receives. Street scene aesthetic concerns will not be classed as a reasonable exemption from the provision of standard wheeled bins. Where a property does not wish to be collected via the method determined by the Council then the Council reserves the right to cease collecting waste from the property who will have to make their own alternative arrangements for collection.

Alternative collection methods

Communal bins

For some households such as flatted areas, high populated residences and Houses of Multiple Occupation using larger bins for residents to share (communal bins) may be deemed more appropriate for easier storage, use and emptying.

• where bins are supplied for the use by individual buildings such as blocks of flats, HMOs, Housing Associations or Council Housing the owner, manager or housing provider will be liable for the costs associated with the purchase and supply of the bins and any subsequent replacement or repairs
  • the bin will become the property of the purchaser
• where bins are supplied as a communal disposal point to properties with no storage for bins the Council will supply and maintain the bin
  • the bin remains the property of the Council
• only bins purchased through the Council will be permitted - charges will be based on the current cost at the time of providing the bins
• only the allocated number of bins for the property will be collected based on the provision covered in the Policy - if a property would like additional storage the emptying of the additional bins would be chargeable
• where bins are supplied for the use by individual buildings such as blocks of flats, HMOs, Housing Associations or Council Housing the owner, manager or housing provider then there will be an expectation that the provision is for both refuse and recycling bins
• the Council reserves the right to re-balance existing communal collections to a ratio it deems appropriate e.g. to give equal capacity to refuse and recycling . This could mean in some cases this existing residual waste capacity is removed and new recycling capacity will need to be provided. In such cases owners of bins may incur charges for any alterations required such as swapping of lids
• where bins are supplied at a communal disposal point to properties with no storage for bins the Council endeavour to provide both refuse and recycling bins however this may be dictated by available storage space on the public highway - in such cases where storage space is limited, the Council will prioritise with residual waste bins and look to provide recycling via another method e.g. a smaller bin, bags or recycling banks
• where damage to a bin is such that it is deemed to pose a hazard for a crew to either move or empty then it will not be emptied - the property owner or manager will be notified, and service will be suspended until the bin is either repaired or replaced and collections will be commenced from the next scheduled collection
• the standard frequency of collections for communally collected bins will an alternate weekly collection in line with the standard collection - where the Council has sited bins as a communal disposal point to properties with no storage for bins and there is limited storage on the highway for additional capacity the Council may by exception collect these bins more frequently
• the Council reserves the right to amend collection frequency - where it does this and a property would be entitled to additional capacity then it would be down to the property manager or owner to pay for these bins
• where a property requires an additional empty of bins between collections this will be a chargeable service
• rules regarding what is permitted in the residual waste bin is the same as covered under the standard collection - as per the standard collection side waste is not permitted with the exception of the first collection following Christmas where the Council will permit one bag per household that the communal bins serves to be left out as additional waste
• rules regarding what is permitted in the recycling bins is the same as covered under the standard collection albeit recycling side waste is not permitted to be left out next to communal bins
• bins must be of a manageable weight to be collected
  • overweight bins which operatives are unable to safely move will not be collected and will be down to the property owner/manager to address
  • in such cases the Council will not return to empty the bin until the next scheduled collection and the bin will be refused if it is still overweight
  • it will be down to the householder to deal with any additional waste as a result of the non-collection or arrange an additional empty which would be chargeable
• where bins are supplied for the use by individual buildings such as blocks of flats, HMOs, Housing Associations or Council Housing no waste or recycling left outside or around the bins will be collected - this includes but is not limited to:
  • large bulky items
  • excess waste or recycling
  • It is the responsibility of the residents or managing agents to remove these items to enable collections.
• where a bin supplied for the use by individual buildings such as blocks of flats, HMOs, Housing Associations or Council Housing is not accessible due to loose waste, recycling, or bulky items the bin will not be emptied
  • it is the responsibility of the residents or managing agent to remove these items
  • the bins will then be emptied on the next scheduled collection day if the bins are accessible
  • requests to clear bins or collection areas will be chargeable
• the Borough Council is not responsible for misuse of communal bins by other persons
  • whilst the Council may investigate flytipping into a communal bin it is not responsible for the removal of any such waste or contamination - this would be down the property whose bins have been mis-used
• the Council will determine collection points for communal bins on a case-to-case basis
  • the Council reserves the right to require that  bins are presented at the curtilage of a property  in the same manner as the standard service
  • where the Council collects from a bin area it must be accessible by the collection crew
  • it is the responsibility of the managing agent or owner to ensure the Council are informed and provided with any keys or codes to access locked bin stores
  • where keys and electronic fobs are used, the Council must be provided with these at no charge and the Council accepts no liability for lost or replacement keys/ electronic fobs
• where bins are required to be presented at the curtilage of a property they must be available for collection by 6.30am on the designated day of collection - changes to collection days due to bank holidays will be advertised on the Councils website and in local media

Contamination of communal recycling bins

If a communal collection bin is contaminated with the wrong material, it will not emptied. The Council will make reasonable attempts to notify residents and/or the owner/manager that the bin has been rejected.  It is the responsibility of the residents, owner or managing agents to remove these items so that the bin can be emptied on the next scheduled collection day.

If a resident/managing agent requests to have a contaminated bin emptied, there is a charge for this service. A charge would also be applied if they require emptying of a bin which has had contaminated material removed prior to the next scheduled collection.  

Sack collections

The Council's preferred collection for recycling and residual waste is via wheeled or communal bins, however there are a small number of households where storage of bins at the property or in its locality is not feasible. In such cases they will be put on sack collection.

• in such cases where sacks are used, the rules around what may be put in each sack apply as per the standard refuse and recycling collection
• when collecting sacks, the collection crews will assess the weight of the sack
  • if it is too heavy to carry safely to the vehicle, the sack is likely to split, or the collection crew cannot safely lift it into the vehicle it will not be collected
  • where any sack is found to be too heavy, the householder will be required to remove sufficient material from it and dispose of it in an additional sack
  • once sufficient weight has been removed, the sack should be presented on the next scheduled collection date - we will not return to collect the sack before the next scheduled collection date
  • if the householder needs the excess material to be removed and disposed of this can be arranged - only waste contained within sacks will be collected and does not include bulky items
• a stock of residual waste and recycling sacks will be delivered to properties at least once annually -residents requiring further sacks will be able to contact the Council for further bags
• only recycling presented in Council provided bags will be collected - these bags will meet the requirements for onward acceptance and processing as required by the Material Recovery Facility the recycling is sent to
• in the case of contaminated recycling bags, these will be rejected and will be down to the householder to remove sufficient material from it and dispose of it via the residual collection
  • once the contaminated material has been removed, the recycling sack should be presented on the next scheduled collection date - we will not return to collect the sack before the next scheduled collection date
• collection of both residual waste bags and recycling will be on a frequency determined by the Council which will be based on service availability and accessibility for individual properties - the Borough Council will inform individual properties on this service of relevant collection days
• collection of sacks will not start before 6.30 am - the Council will provide information to residents about their designated collection day; collection times may vary week to week
• one off changes to collection days due to public holidays will be advertised on the Council's website and advertised through social media
  • residents should expect changes to collection days over public holidays and check for these changes - collection days may be brought forward early or put back
  • the Council is not responsible for returning to collect bags where a resident was not aware their collection day had changed
  • for operational purposes it may be necessary to change the designated collection day on a more permanent basis - in these instances residents will be informed of these changes in writing
  • the Borough Council operates a kerbside collection meaning sacks will be picked up from adjacent to the public highway - sacks must be presented for collection at the front curtilage of the residents property close to the road unless otherwise directed by Great Yarmouth Borough Council or Great Yarmouth Services
• in some cases collection of sacks may occur from a communal collection point - such collection points will be within a reasonable distance
  • this will however be subject to vehicular access to collect the bags and an appropriate area where bags can be communally located without causing obstruction whilst awaiting collection
• sacks should be presented securely tied and where residents present their sacks on a public footpath or verge they should be placed in a manner not to cause an obstruction to other users
• sacks may be placed out after 6.00pm on the proceeding night of collection and should be placed out prior to collection taking place
  • it is advisable to place sacks out by 6.30am to ensure they are out in time for collection
  • bags left out at any other time will be considered as flytipping