Information we collect

When you register for our services online we will ask you to provide some information about yourself such as your name, address, contact details (telephone and email), and financial details (for payment purposes).

If you are registering on behalf of another person and providing us with their information (e.g. on behalf of an elderly relative) you must ensure that you have their consent or are otherwise entitled to provide this information to us.

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How we use this information

We will only use the contact details provided to contact you by letter, telephone, text messages, or email to for matters related the services you have signed up for and to inform you or any similar services provided by Wychavon District Council that may be of interest to you.

You may tell us at any time if you don't want to receive marketing communications clicking the unsubscribe button at the end of the an e-mail, by writing to us or calling us.

We will also use your information for analysis purposes in order to improve our service. This will be anonymised prior to any disclosure, e.g. under the Freedom of Information Act regarding service take-up volumes.

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Who we share information with

We may pass your information to people who provide a service to us or are acting as our agents, on the understanding that they will keep the information confidential and comply with the Data Protection Act.

Specifically, if you choose to pay for the service by Direct Debit, the details provided are held securely our own systems.

We are subject to the Freedom of Information Act and may be required to share some information with the public. Where this is the case no personal information will be disclosed, e.g. by anonymising information, using summaries, blanking out personal information. Please see our Freedom of Information web pages for further information ( see link - to be added later )

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Changes to the information

In the event that any of the details provided at the time of registering for the service change, you are required to notify us within 28 days so we can update your records.

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Disposing of the information

We will retain information provided for as long as required for legitimate business purposes and dispose of it securely when no longer required.

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Further information

If you have any further queries about how the Council handles your personal information you can:

• Read our Privacy Policy
• Read our Website Cookies Policy
• Contact the Data Protection Officer

Only compostable garden waste is accepted i.e.

• Grass cuttings
• Hedge and shrub clippings
• Leaves
• Twigs
• Branches less than 10cm (4”) in diameter
• Small plants and weeds
• Cut Flowers

The following items must not be put into brown bins (this list is not exclusive):

• Kitchen or food waste (peelings, tea bags, egg shells)
• Animal waste
• Plastic bags
• Pots and trays
• Rubble or bricks
• Soil
• Tree stumps
• Branches over 10cm (4”) in diameter

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Collection Information

The garden waste service is carried out on alternate weeks and you will be advised of your collection day and week, ie week 1 or week 2 when your bin has been delivered and your service is ready to commence.

Garden Waste bins must be out ready for collection from 7.00am on your collection day.

Crews work between 7.00am and 4.30pm and collection times can vary so customers must ensure that their bin remains at the collection point between these times.

The customer should place the wheelie bin at the front edge of their property, wherever their black/green bin is collected from currently. This is usually the boundary of their property nearest to where our collection vehicle passes. Their bin must be on their property and not positioned on the public highway where it could cause an obstruction.

However, where there is no front edge to their property, they are allowed to place their bin, in a safe position on the footpath, on the day of collection. They must remove their bin from the pathway, once it has been emptied.

Bins stored at the rear of their properties must be brought round to the front unless advised otherwise.

If the customers are late putting out their bin, forget to place out their bin, or if they are away from home on the day of collection, the customer must store it until the next scheduled collection. We cannot return to collect their bin if they have placed it out after the vehicle has already passed.

Misuse of Brown Bins - Worcester City Council will check the use of the bin and may request return of the bin if misused. The Council reserves the right to remove bins when presented for collection if the householder does not use the bin in accordance with the guidelines.

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Missed Bins

If a collection is missed the customer should report it by calling the Worcestershire Hub on 01905 722233.

Missed brown bins are now collected within three working days.

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Tagged Bins

If there is a problem with the contents of the customers’ bin our crews will leave a ‘tag’ which explains what to do.

When the problem is resolved, the customer is required to call the Worcestershire Hub on 01905 722233 to ask for the collection to be made. This will be done within three working days, providing the customer’s regular collection is not due within five working days from the date of their request.

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New Applications

Customers should contact the Worcestershire Hub on 01905 722233. They will give you a unique Garden Waste Account Reference number. This number is required to make any payments via telephone or on-line.

Payment will be for one years’ subscription plus an initial one-off registration fee, which is non-refundable.

There is a maximum of three bins per household.

There are no concessions for elderly or disabled people and this service is not available to commercial organisations or businesses.

The annual subscription and one-off administration fee may increase each year.

Revised charges are agreed by the Council each year and apply from 1st April to 31st March.

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How to Renew the Garden Waste Service

We will write to the customer approximately one month before their current year’s service is due to expire, inviting them to renew their subscription. The letter will show their Garden Waste Account Reference, their Anniversary date and the current cost of the service.

Payment must be made by this date for the service to continue uninterrupted.

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Failure to Pay

If the customer fails to pay by their Garden Waste Anniversary Date the service will be suspended on this date.

If the customer further fails to pay by their second scheduled collection after their anniversary date, then the service will be cancelled and the bin removed. To reinstate the service again, the customer will be required to pay the annual subscription and the registration fee.

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Cancellation of Service

To cancel the service the customer should contact the Worcestershire Hub on 01905 722233. The Council will then contact the customer to arrange collection of the bin. Part refunds are not available if the service is cancelled mid-term.

If the customer is moving house within the City, they must inform the Council first. Bins are registered to the property and not to the customer; therefore the bin must not be removed from the property without prior arrangement from the Council.

The brown bin belongs to Worcester City Council – it must not be taken to a property outside the City. We will arrange to collect the bin if a householder is moving out of Worcester.

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Special Arrangements

Sharing a Brown Bin – Neighbours can share bins, but the bin needs to be registered and collected from the same address.

Assisted Collection – If a customer currently receives an ‘Assisted Collection’, their brown bin will be collected from the same agreed place as their black and green bins.

‘Sack Only’ Properties – The Council does not offer a garden waste sack collection with this service.