Customer Charter for Thorntons Recycling Waste Collection

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1. INTRODUCTION - HOUSEHOLD CUSTOMER CHARTER

Thorntons Recycling 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 is preferred over the disposal of waste. This approach is in line with the current national waste policy in the area — 2020- A waste action plan for a Circular Economy, Ireland's National Waste Policy 2020-2025 and our waste collection permit. This document is designed to communicate how we intend to provide household waste collection services in accordance with these principles to the public in a clear and concise fashion.

2. CUSTOMER SERVICE STANDARDS

• We will provide a regular and reliable collection service and process your waste in a professional and environmentally sound manner.
• All service provision will be carried out in line with current local and national legislation and in line with sustainable waste management practices. Our National Waste Collection Permit Office (NWCPO) waste collection permit number is NWCPO-09-01190-05 and the details of the permit can be viewed at www.nwcpo.ie.
• We will provide you with timely, relevant, and clear information regarding your collections, including temporary changes resulting from public holidays or adverse weather conditions.
• We will consider any reasonable special requests that individual households may have.
• We will explain clearly what our service rules are and the reasons for them.
• We will respond to formal complaints we receive about our services in a timely and professional manner.
• We will ensure that there are no direct impediments to you switching your service provider should you wish to do so.
• We will design our service and carry out collections in a way that minimises litter and odor nuisance.
• We will provide a “3 Bin” service (to facilitate the segregation of residual waste, recyclables and food/biowaste in line with the relevant regulations in relation to waste collection. Every new customer will automatically receive a food/biowaste bin unless they choose to Opt out of the service. Any customer whom Opts out of the food/biowaste service, must select from a number of options and tell us how they dispose of their food waste.

• [The European Union (Household Food Waste and Bio-waste) Regulations 2015].

The Frequency Of Collection Will Be As Follows:

• Residual Waste Bin—Fortnightly
• Recyclable Waste Bin —Fortnightly
• Food & Bio Waste Bin —Fortnightly

3. COMMUNICATION WITH CUSTOMERS

• We will explain clearly what services you can expect to receive and will provide details of the collection services we offer on a county/city basis to the National Waste Collection Permit Office for publishing on their website.
• 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.
• We will inform all customers availing of a domestic waste collection service with sufficient notice of any predictable alternative arrangements made for collection in relation to public holidays etc., or any proposal to vary the level of collection.
• We will keep you informed of changes in our service that are designed to improve our service offering.
• At the time of initial service provision, each customer will be provided with details of their service providers; full name and address, contact details (a website where available, phone number, email, postal address), a clear breakdown of pricing policy for provision of service, the process for accessing account statement and balances, the procedure for receipt of payments, the process for dispute resolution, the procedure for customers who have fallen into arrears with their payments, where applicable, service provision frequency and details and the procedure for cancellation of service provision, including a 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 (usually any time prior to delivery of bins but at least 7 days from time of contract signing).
• 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.
• We will alert you at least 30 days in advance of the expiry of your contract.
• We will produce a version of this Charter which has been approved by the National Adult Literacy Agency.

4. HOUSEHOLDER RESPONSIBILITIES

• 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. Present your waste materials, properly segregated, and placed in their respective bins/receptacles. Please refer to our Waste Segregation and Presentation Guidelines (see section 7 below) which are available on our web site or which are available to send to you by post, if requested.
• It is illegal to dispose of food waste in either the residual waste bin or the recycling bin. Customers must segregate their food waste and dispose of it in a legal means, such as availing of a food/biowaste bin service.
• Segregate your waste appropriately. Please note the procedure in place should the incorrect waste be placed in a bin (e.g. food waste placed in the recycle bin): Photos will be taken of the contaminated bin. Customer care will then contact the customer to inform them of the contamination and a note will be put on the customer’s account. After 3 contaminated bins the customer’s account will be closed.
• In the event that you have difficulty paying your outstanding bill, please contact us directly as soon as possible as we have a procedure to agree on an individual payment plan which deals with how we will manage customers who have difficulty paying their bill. We reserve the right to withdraw service provision either permanently or temporarily due to the nonpayment of outstanding bills.
• 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.
• All customers must also adhere to local Bye-Laws. Ensure your bin is fully closed and do not leave any materials next to or on top of your bin. Under current Local Authority Bye-Laws, this is an offense and you may be issued with a fine by the Council. For more information on Bye-Laws please follow the appropriate link below:

• Dublin City Council Bye-Laws
• South Dublin County Council Bye-Laws
• Wicklow County Council Bye-Laws

5. PRICING, CHARGING MECHANISM AND ACCESS TO ACCOUNT INFORMATION

• The range of service and costs for service provision will be clearly communicated to each customer.
• New Customers will receive information on charging and pricing structures at the time of sign up i.e. whether over the phone, via website sign-up, or via completion of the hard copy application form.
• Information, including a copy of Terms and Conditions of Business will be provided to Customers as part of new Customer Welcome Packs and will be communicated to customers via email as required.
• 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.
• Customers will be entitled to easy access to their account information including statements/balances.

6. COMPLAINTS PROCEDURE/DISPUTE RESOLUTION

• 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: Address: Thorntons Recycling, Unit S3B Henry Road, Parkwest Business Park, Dublin 12. Phone: 01 623 5133, Email: info@thorntons-recycling.ie
• We will respond to formal complaints that we receive about our services in a timely and professional manner.
• 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.
• Billing disputes are handled on a case by case basis and recorded. We will liaise with you directly to resolve the matter.
• 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.

7. EDUCATION AND RAISING AWARENESS

• We shall implement an education and awareness program in relation to waste management for householders that we service. This will be available via promotional literature that we provide directly to you and via our website or through the website of the National Waste Collection Permit Office.
• Information packs shall be available to all customers clearly indicating waste types appropriate to each bin and how to present material for recycling.
• We shall work with other national bodies in promoting waste prevention, reduction, and recycling e.g. EPA / Repak, etc.
• We will provide Waste Segregation and Presentation Guidelines to customers, or at a minimum to the National Waste Collection Permit Office for publishing on their website, which clearly explains which materials are to be placed in which bin.
• We will collect the recycling materials set out below (as a minimum) and as prescribed in the sixth schedule of the Waste Collection Permit Regulations. We will inform you of any changes to the list of recycling materials that we collect.

08 July 2024