Waste collection policy

Numbering, stickers on containers and painted containers

The Council encourage residents to mark up their containers with their property name or number for identification purposes.

The Council reserve the right that in regard to bins that it owns to insist that only communication stickers provided by the Council will be allowed on containers, or stickers and other markings which residents use to identify their bin, for example house number. Other stickers or graffiti deemed offensive or inappropriate the resident will be asked to remove from the container. Where this is not complied with the Council may remove the bin may and service will be suspended until a replacement container is in place.  Any replacement bin will be subject to the standard charge.

Presentation points for containers

The Borough Council operates a kerbside collection meaning containers will be picked up from adjacent to the public highway. Containers must be presented for collection at the front curtilage of the residents property close to the public highway unless otherwise directed by Great Yarmouth Borough Council. Residents on the assisted collection are exempt from this requirement.

In some cases, collections may occur from a communal collection point. Such collection points will be within a reasonable distance from the property using them. The Council will endeavour to find a suitable collection point within 25m of any properties using them. This will however be subject to vehicular access to collect the containers and an appropriate area where containers can be communally located without causing obstruction whilst awaiting collection.

Where residents present their container on a public footpath or verge, they should be placed in a manner not to cause an obstruction to other users.

With regard to communal bins the Council will determine collection on a case-to-case basis. The Council reserves the right to require that bins are presented at the curtilage of a property or at a designated point near the kerbside in the same manner as the standard service.

Private roads and access roads

If properties are located down a private driveway/access road then the containers must be presented where the private driveway/access road meets the adopted highway. This applies even when a household does not own the land between the resident's property and the adopted highway. The Council may collect from such routes on the following conditions:

• the road services 6 or more properties
• where it requests if the Council has been indemnified in writing against any damage to road surfaces and underground apparatus
• the road has been constructed and maintained to a standard acceptable by the Council
• the Council believes the road is of a suitable design to enable a collection vehicle with 4 axles to manoeuvre easily and turn where needed
• the nature of the road is not such that it would take an unreasonable length of time to carry out collections relative to other collections from adopted highways within the Borough
• the Council will not be held liable for any accidental damage
• with regard to housing sites under development, the Council will only collect from properties where residents have moved into where the road infrastructure is of a standard acceptable to the Council and other building works do not infringe access or pose a hazard to the crew or vehicle

The Council reserves the right to refuse to access private, unsurfaced or unadopted roads with recycling and refuse collection vehicles. The Council may change any collection point, either temporarily or permanently, following a review process. This review process may be instigated due (but not limited to) the Council's belief that the access to or location of the presentation site would be unsafe for collections or does not meet the current Council Policy.

The Council will give at least 10 working days' notice, in writing, of any changes to the location of a collection point, highlighting the alternative site to the householders affected. Each case will be looked at on an individual basis to agree a suitable collection point as near to the boundary as is safe and practicable.

Where persons requiring an assisted collection live on a road which does not meet the Councils policy to access, it will look at such an assisted application on a case to case basis and endeavour to find a reasonable solution. However, the Council cannot guarantee being prepared to access the road if it not maintained to a standard to accommodate a refuse collection vehicle or considered unreasonable for any other reason. In such cases the householder may be required to make other arrangements to have their waste moved to a collection point at the public highway to be able to utilise the service.