Brown bin

Terms and conditions

The service

  • These terms and conditions relate to the chargeable garden waste collection service provided by Midlothian Council (hereafter known as ‘the council’ ) for the kerbside collection of compostable household garden waste presented in a brown / brown-lidded 240 litre wheeled bin.

Use of your data

The email address provided will be used to send you an:

  • E-receipt for the payment made.
  • Email advising you of the last collection dates in 2020.
  • Email advising you how to sign up and pay in 2021.

If you have signed up for the service in a library using a library email address, you will not receive these notifications.

Information on how you data is collected, stored and used (opens in new window)

Registration and payment

  • The charge for the brown bin collection in 2020 is £35.00 per bin.
  • Bins will be emptied on a fortnightly basis between mid-March and mid-November.
  • Up to six bins can be registered and paid for at an individual address. The charge will be applied to each bin.
  • There will be no pro rata payments for customers who join the service part way through the year.
  • If you change your mind, you may cancel the registration at any time, by sending an email with your details to [email protected]
  • If you cancel within 14 days of registration you will receive a full refund. If you cancel after 14 days of registration you will not receive a refund.
  • A bin sticker will be issued for each bin registered and paid for. Bin stickers are non-transferrable and only valid when presented at the property for which they were originally purchased.
  • If payment is received on or before 20 February 2020, bin stickers will be delivered in time for your first scheduled brown bin collection.
  • For payments received on or after 21 February 2020 it may take up to 6 weeks for your request to be processed and your sticker to be delivered.
  • Only bins displaying a valid sticker will be emptied.

Refunds

  • Bin stickers are non-transferrable and only valid when presented at the property for which they were originally purchased.
  • No refund of fees will be applicable in the event that a resident moves property within Midlothian to one without a brown bin or moves out of Midlothian during the payment period.

Shared bins or multiple bins at a specific property

  • If you want to share a bin with one or more neighbours, you must agree one person who will register and pay for the collection service. It will be the responsibility of that group of neighbours to arrange their own payments among themselves and to ensure the bin is presented on the correct days.

Collection and non-collection of bins

  • Brown bins must be used for the presentation of compostable garden waste only. Find out how to use your brown bin correctly (opens in new browser tab).
  • Bins must be presented at the kerbside by 07:00am on the day of collection.
  • Bins should be presented with the handle facing the road, and the bin sticker clearly visible to collection crews.
  • The council reserves the right not to empty brown bins in the following instances:
    • Bins contain incorrect items
    • Bins are too heavy to safely manoeuvre
    • Bins are in poor condition (eg: wheels or lids broken)
    • Garden waste is heavily compacted or the contents are frozen
    • Bins are presented with the lid open or ajar
  • It shall be solely for the council to determine if any bin meets any of the above criteria.
  • It will be the sole responsibility of the householder to remove any contamination or excess weight from the bin, and present the bin on the next collection day.
  • No refund will be made for bins which are not emptied for the reasons listed previously.
  • Wheeled bins that are presented after 07:00am, and are not emptied, will not be emptied by the council until the next scheduled collection day. No refund will be made for bins not emptied for this reason.
  • No refunds will be made if a bin is not emptied as a result of our actions. Instead we will try to fix the failure.
  • To allow us to return to empty your bin, you must report the non-collection by 5pm the following working day (Monday-Friday). We cannot return if a report is made after this time. Report a missed collection online (opens in new browser tab).

New, repair or replacement of bins

Bin stickers

  • Stickers should be placed on the back of your bin where they are clearly visible to collection crews.
  • For payment received on or before 20 February, stickers should be delivered by Friday 6 March.
  • For payment received between 21 February and 27 March, stickers should be delivered by Friday 10 April.
  • For payment received on or after 28 March, sticker delivery should take no longer than 6 weeks.
  • If you have not received your sticker(s) within these timescales, you must request a replacement sticker. Only bins displaying a valid sticker will be emptied. No refund will be made for bins not emptied for this reason.

Change of address

  • If you move home - please leave the bin at the property.

 

Please note these Terms and Conditions are subject to change at the council’s discretion without notice.

The council expressly reserves the right to withdraw the service for the collection of waste without notice in the event of war or other emergency, civil commotion, riot, strikes, adverse weather conditions or other circumstances outwith its control. No refund of fees will be applicable in the event of the loss of service for the reasons detailed in this section.

Find more information on the chargeable garden waste collection service (opens in new browser tab).

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