Vale of White Horse District Council
Abbey House, Abbey Close,
Abingdon, OX14 3JE
Email: comments@whitehorsedc.gov.uk
Telephone: 01235 520202

Vale of White Horse District Council

The Waste Management Service promise to customers

Whatever the service, whichever way they contact us, we promise our customers to:

• Deal with enquiries in a friendly, helpful and courteous manner;
• Treat everyone equally and without discrimination;
• Provide accurate and timely information;
• Treat any information given to us or held by us sensitively and discreetly, respecting any confidentiality;
• Meet the targets set out in our service standards;
• Treat any comments and complaints about our services seriously and to handle them in a positive way.

The services we provide

The Waste Management section provides the following types of service:

• Street cleansing;
• Collection of domestic refuse;
• Emptying of green recycling boxes;
• Emptying of brown garden waste and cardboard bins.

Responding to Customers

Standards for responding to enquiries via letter, email, telephone or personal visit are set out in the Council’s Customer Service Charter.

Service Aims and Objectives

The waste management section has specific standards for its services, which are set out below. 

Street Cleansing

We aim to:

• Keep all public roads free from litter, detritus, rubbish and animal faeces;
• Use the standards set out in the Code of Practice on Litter & Refuse to check the work of our contractor;
• Ensure the number of times where the standard falls below grade C or D is reduced year on year (see Table 1 below)
• Empty litter & dog waste bins at a frequency that prevents them overflowing;
• Keep public land free of illegally deposited waste.

We will ensure that:

• All residential roads are cleaned at in accordance with the Street Cleaning Contract;
• Main roads are swept weekly;
• District Centres have a continuous service between the hours of 6am – 5pm.;
• We respond within 24 hrs to complaints of residential roads falling to Grade C & below;
• We provide a regular service and respond to reports of overflowing bins within the same working day;
• We regularly review the location of litter bins;
• Fly tipped waste on public land is removed within one working day of it being reported.

Table 1 – Cleanliness Grades

What is not covered?

• Additional cleaning unless the standard of cleanliness falls to a Grade C or below before the next scheduled clean.
• Removal of litter from private land or unadopted roads and footpaths.
• The removal of Weeds (see below)
• Provision of a free service for fly tips on private property.

Please help us by

• Not dropping litter
• Using the litter bins provided;
• Reporting damaged or overflowing bins;
• Not using litter bins for household or commercial waste;
• Cleaning up after your dog;
• Reporting fly tippers, noting time, date and vehicle registration, do not put yourself at risk and do not touch the waste. There may be evidence that can help us identify the culprit.

Green Box Recycling Collection

We aim to:

• Provide a weekly recycling collection service to all residents within the District who present a ‘green box’ for emptying. 
• Provide good quality information on what can or cannot be recycled.
• Provide an assisted collection  to those residents who because of disability and/or infirmity are unable to present their recycling box at the kerbside
• Provide clear and timely information to residents regarding collection arrangements at Bank Holidays

We will ensure that:

• All material to be recycled presented in a green box will be collected weekly on the scheduled day, unless the householder is previously notified;
• All missed collections, when notified, will be rectified by the end of the next working day;
• All recycled material will be removed if it is properly contained in a green box;
• Green boxes and lids will be returned  to their collection point;
• Spillages caused by the actions of the recycling operatives will be cleared; 

Please help us by:

• Putting your green box(s) out by 7am on the collection day. The actual collection time on collection day could be subject to change.
• Ensuring that the material to be recycled is presented in such a way that it does not cause injury to the recycling operatives e.g. no broken glass or sharp metal edges.
• Not putting mixed material in separate plastic sacks. On health and safety grounds the operatives have been instructed not sort through plastic sacks when it is not clear what is in that sack.
• Ensuring that your green box does not obstruct  public footpaths and pavements
• Not presenting your green box for collection to early or storing them outside the boundary of your property between collections;
• Ensuring your material to be recycled is contained and will not cause wind blown litter;
• Being patient if the service is disrupted by severe weather conditions and other factors outside the control of the Council or its contractor.

Refuse Collection

We aim to:

• Provide a weekly refuse collection service to all domestic properties within the District
• Provide good quality information on how to take care of waste
• Provide an assisted collection of household waste to those residents who because of disability and/or infirmity are unable to present their waste at the kerbside
• Provide clear and timely information to residents regarding collection arrangements at Bank Holidays

We will ensure that:

• All household waste will be collected weekly on the scheduled day, unless the householder is previously notified;
• All missed collections, when notified, will be rectified by the end of the next working day;
• All household waste will be removed if it is properly contained in a dustbin, plastic or paper sack, box or other suitable container;
• Dustbins will be returned to their collection point;
• Spillages caused by the actions of the refuse operatives will be cleared;

Please help us by:

• Putting your waste out by 7am on the collection day. The actual collection time on collection day could be subject to change.
• Ensuring that the waste is presented in such a way that it does not cause injury to the refuse operatives e.g. no sharp objects jutting out of plastic sacks.
• Ensuring that your waste does not cause an obstruction of public footpaths and pavements
• Not presenting your waste for collection to early or storing waste outside the boundary of your property between collections
• Ensuring your waste is contained and will not cause wind blown litter.
• Being patient if the service is disrupted by severe weather conditions and other factors outside the control of the Council or its contractor

Garden Waste and Cardboard Collection Scheme (Brown Bin Scheme)

We aim to:

• Provide a fortnightly collection service to all residents within the District who have joined the Brown Bin Scheme;
• Provide good quality information on what can or cannot be put in the Brown Bin;
• Provide an assisted collection  to those residents who because of disability and/or infirmity are unable to present their Brown Bin at the kerbside;
• Provide clear and timely information to residents regarding collection arrangements at Bank Holidays. 

We will ensure that:

• All green waste and cardboard presented in a Brown Bin will be collected fortnightly on the scheduled day, unless the householder is previously notified;
• All missed collections, when notified, will be rectified by the end of the next working day;
• All green waste and cardboard will be removed if it is properly contained in the wheeled bin;
• Brown Bins will be returned  to their collection point;
• Applications to join the Brown Bin scheme will be processed and a wheeled bin delivered within 20 working days;
• Spillages caused by the actions of the operatives will be cleared;

Please help us by:

• Putting your Brown Bin out by 7am on the collection day.  The actual collection time on collection day could be subject to change;
• Ensuring that the material to be composted is presented in such a way that it does not cause injury to the collection operatives;
• Ensuring that your Brown Bin does not obstruct  public footpaths and pavements;
• Not presenting your Brown Bin for collection to early or storing them outside the boundary of your property between collections;
• Ensuring your material to be collected is contained and will not cause wind blown litter;
• Being patient if the service is disrupted by severe weather conditions and other factors outside the control of the Council or its contractor.

Help Us to Help You!

Customers can help the Council to deliver the best possible service by:

• Being aware of any relevant service standards (for example, turnaround times on applications);
• Keeping us informed of any relevant changes in your circumstances;
• Responding to letters and any requests for further information or documentation in the timescales requested;
• Treating our staff with respect and courtesy. 

Customer Behaviour

Our staff and contractors are committed to providing the best possible service for customers, and we believe that in return they have a right to be treated courteously and with respect. 

The Council will not tolerate instances of verbal, written or physical harrassment or abuse of its staff or contractors. The Council will record such incidents and may report incidents to the police. We retain the right, where we consider customer actions to be unacceptable, to change, restrict or refuse access to our services.

Comments, Complaints and Suggestions

The Council recognises that communication is a two-way process and operates a procedure that encourages comments, complaints and suggestions to enable service improvement. Whichever method you use to contact us with a complaint, it will be dealt with in the same way.

• A full written reply will be sent within seven working days or, if your complaint is complicated, you will be sent a reply or progress report within 28 days.
• If you are unhappy about our reply to your complaint, you can write to the Chief Executive at the Council using the Freepost address.
• If, after following the Council's procedure you are still not satisfied with the outcome, you can refer it to the Local Government Ombudsman. We can supply you with the contact details on request.