CUSTOMER CHARTER FOR PAY TO USE COMPACTOR UNITS ACCEPTING HOUSEHOLD WASTE

INTRODUCTION 

Kollect on Demand Ltd provides PTUs called ‘BIGbins’. The company is committed to providing the highest standards in the provision of waste management services to its customers. We have a commitment to providing a service that seeks to incentivise waste prevention and to encourage the segregation of waste so that it can be managed in accordance with the waste hierarchy, whereby waste prevention, preparing for reuse, recycling and other recovery are preferred over the disposal of waste.

This approach is in line with the current national waste policy in the area — A Resource Opportunity — Waste Management Policy in Ireland. This document is designed to communicate how we intend to provide household waste management services in accordance with these principles to the public in a clear and concise fashion.

CUSTOMER SERVICE STANDARDS

(a) We will provide a reliable waste deposit service and process your waste in a professional and environmentally sound manner.

(b) All service provision will be carried out in line with current local and national legislation and in line with sustainable waste management practices.

(c) We will consider any reasonable special requests that individual households may have.

(d) We will explain clearly what our service rules are and the reasons for them.

(e) We will respond to formal complaints we receive about our services in a timely and professional manner.

 (f) We will ensure that there are no direct impediments to you switching your waste management service provider should you wish to do so.

(g) We will design our service and accept waste in a way that minimises litter and odour nuisance.

(h) We will offer a “2 receptacle” or “3 receptacle” service to facilitate the segregation of household residual, recyclable and where appropriate, food/bio waste in line with our Certificate of Registration.

COMMUNICATION WITH CUSTOMERS

(a) We will explain clearly what services you can expect to receive and will provide details of the waste acceptance services we offer on a county/city basis to the relevant local authority for publishing on their website.

(b) We will provide you with clear and concise billing which will allow you to understand all elements of the costs involved in providing your waste services.

(c) We will keep you informed of changes in our service that are designed to improve our service offering.

(d) At the time of initial service provision under contract, where applicable, each customer will be provided with details of their service provider; full name and address, contact details (website where available, phone number, email, postal address), a clear breakdown of pricing policy for provision of service, process for accessing account statement and balances, procedure for receipt of payments, process for dispute resolution, procedure for customers who have fallen into arrears with their payments, where applicable, and details of the procedure for cancellation of service provision, including refund of charges where applicable. You will also be provided with details of the period of validity for the offer provided and advised of a cooling off period should you wish to change your mind.

(e) In the case of e-Commerce contracts with customers, and in line with reducing paper usage, all communication and documents will be sent by email unless otherwise requested. In the interests of the environment and reducing costs we are committed to increasing communication by this method.

(f) We will alert you at least 30 days in advance of the expiry of your contract, where applicable.

(g) We will produce a version of this Charter which has been approved by the National Adult Literacy Agency.

HOUSEHOLDER RESPONSIBILITIES

(a) In line with national policy, prevent, reuse and recycle waste as much as possible. Refer to national and regional campaigns that seek to help reduce waste production. Segregate your waste materials properly and place this waste in their respective receptacles. Please refer to the list of acceptable wastes provide below, which are available on our website or which are available to be sent to you by post, if requested.

(b) Please note the procedure in place should the incorrect waste be placed in a receptacle (e.g. food waste placed in the recycle receptacle):

The customer is required to inform the shop/garage owner.

(c) Where applicable, in the event that you have difficulty paying an outstanding bill, please contact us directly as soon as possible as we have a procedure to agree an individual payment plan which deals with how we will manage customers who have difficulty paying their bill.

(d) Contact us, as your waste management service supplier if you have any queries on how best to manage any of your waste materials. We have the expertise to provide the appropriate service or advice on how to best resolve the issue.

PRICING, CHARGING MECHANISM AND ACCESS TO ACCOUNT INFORMATION

(a) The range of service and costs for service provision will be clearly communicated to each customer.

(b) New Customers will receive information on charging and pricing structures at the time of sign up, where applicable, i.e. whether over the phone, via website sign-up or via completion of hard copy application form.

(c) Information, including a copy of Terms and Conditions of Business will be provided to Customers as part of new Customer Welcome Packs, where applicable, and will be available on the company’s website and/or your local authority’s website.

(d) Any changes to the Terms and Conditions of the business will be communicated to customers in a timely manner. Payment of invoices following such notifications shall be taken as acceptance of the

updated Terms.

(e) Customers will be entitled to easy access to their account information including statements / balances.

COMPLAINTS PROCEDURE/DISPUTE RESOLUTION

(a) You are entitled to a fair and reasonable hearing when you have a genuine complaint or dispute and the company commits to resolving your issues as quickly as is reasonably possible. Please find our contact details for complaints:

David Fallon 0830965560,  or info@bigbin.ie

(b) We will respond to formal complaints we receive about our services in a timely and professional manner. In the case of written complaints, within 10 working days.

(c) Complaints shall be logged on the individual customer account with a tracking facility to ensure the complaint has been resolved and the customer notified of updates or the course of action taken to resolve the issue.

(d) Billing disputes are handled on a case by case basis and recorded. We will liaise with you directly to resolve the matter.

(e) Dispute resolution including withdrawal of service will be in line with the company policy available on the company website or which is sent out by post on request. This will be a fair and equitable process in line with good consumer policies.

BIGbin Waste Segregation Policy

The BIGbin facility is confined to the acceptance of household waste. Each compartment for

the acceptance of each waste stream is limited in size to limit misuse and deposition of

incompatible waste. The drum for the acceptance of residual waste and the drum for the

acceptance of mixed recyclables accept a maximum of 160L or most commonly; two 80L

household bags. The compartment for the acceptance of food waste is a reduced size to

accommodate compostable food waste bags and negate the use of large bags for residual or

recyclable waste. The compactor allocated for the acceptance of recyclable waste only is

fitted with a guard to prevent large bags of non-recyclables materials being placed within

the compactor. The compactor allocated to the acceptance of residual waste and food

waste has separate compartments, the compartment for the residual waste is located on

the front of the compactor and labelled clearly.

BIGbin is committed to providing the highest standards in the provision of waste management services to our customers. We have a commitment to providing a service that seeks to incentivise waste prevention and to encourage the segregation of waste so that it can be managed in accordance with the waste hierarchy, whereby waste prevention, preparing for reuse, recycling and other recovery are preferred over the disposal of waste.

This approach is in line with current national waste policy A Waste Action Plan for a Circular Economy – Ireland’s National Waste Policy 2020-2025.

BIGbin is committed to the municipal waste recycling targets set out by the EU of a 55% recycling rate of municipal waste by 2025, 60% by 2030 and 65% by 2035. BIGbin is committed to improving our waste segregation management as an ongoing priority. We have recently introduced a grille system on our mixed dry recyclables unit to ensure that items for recycling must be fed through the grille by hand to prevent the disposal of bags of household/food waste being incorrectly disposed of and thus cross contaminating the bin. The disposal of mixed dry recyclables has been reduced from €5.00 per drum opening to €4.00 per drum opening to further incentivise recycling. We are promoting awareness of accepted waste items at each bin we provide with site signage, information on the bins and education from our website. 

CUSTOMER RESPONSIBILITY

In line with national policy, prevent, reuse, and recycle waste as much as possible. Refer to

national and regional campaigns that seek to help reduce waste production. Segregate your

waste materials properly and place this waste in their respective receptacles. Please refer

to the list of acceptable wastes provide below, which are available on our website or which

are available to be sent to you by post, if requested. 

EDUCATION AND RAISING AWARENESS

(a) We shall implement an education and awareness programme in relation to waste management for householders for which we provide a service. This will be available via promotional literature that we provide directly to you and via our website or through the website of the relevant local authority.

(b) Information packs shall be available to all customers clearly indicating waste types appropriate to each receptacle and how to deposit material for recycling.

(c) We shall work with other national bodies in promoting waste prevention, reduction and recycling e.g. EPA / Repak etc.

(d) We will provide Waste Segregation and Presentation Guidelines to customers, or at a minimum to the relevant local authority for publishing on their website, which clearly explain which materials are to be placed in which receptacle and accept at a minimum the recycling materials set out below and as prescribed in the seventh schedule of the Waste Management (Facility Permit and Registration) Regulations 2007. We will explain to you what happens to materials deposited in the residual, recycle and food waste receptacles.

Wastes we accept for recycling are as follows: 

Paper NewspapersMagazinesJunk mailEnvelopesPaperPhone booksCataloguesTissue boxesSugar bags CalendarsDairiesLettersComputer paperUsed Beverage and Juice cartonsMilk cartonsEgg BoxesHoliday brochures Paper Potato bags Plastic Bottles (PET 1)Mineral BottlesWater BottlesMouthwash bottlesSalad dressing bottles Food waste Meat, poultry, fishShellfish & bonesEgg & dairy productsPlate scrapings & table scrapFruit & vegetablesBread, dough, pasta & grains/cerealsCoffee grounds, filters & tea bagsSoiled kitchen towels

Plastic packaging (PP)Yogurt containersMargarine tubsRigid food packaging- (except black)Liquid Soap ContainersFruit containersCardboard Food boxes Packaging boxesCereal boxesKitchen Towel tubesAluminium cansDrink cansSteel cansPet food cansFood cansBiscuit tinsSoup tins Plastic Bottles (HDPE2)Milk BottlesJuice BottlesCosmetic bottlesShampoo bottlesHousehold cleaning bottlesLaundry detergent bottlesWindow Cleaning BottlesBath room bottles

TERMINATION OF SERVICE / REFUNDS / CHANGING SERVICE PROVIDERS

(a) Should you wish to terminate your service provision, where applicable, please advise us by email or in writing or by phoning giving (number of days to be inserted) days’ notice. Where applicable, any balance owing on your account, after a Cancellation Charge (if applicable) is deducted, will be refunded to you within 30 days of receipt of termination notice.

(b) We will ensure that there are no direct impediments to you switching your service provider.