Garden Waste and Composting

You can request a maximum of six wheeled bins per household.

What is changing?
From 3 January 2025, you can no longer pay for your renewal by invoice (cheque/bank transfer) or Direct Debit, even if you already have a Direct Debit in place.

Instead, you will need to make your renewal payment using a credit or debit card (not American Express) online through your ‘My Account’ or, if you do not have access to the internet, by calling Customer Services. Your renewal payment must be made before your renewal date. If we do not receive your payment by then, your service will be cancelled and the bin(s) removed. For more information, please read the ‘What happens if I don’t renew on time’ section below.

Should you wish to increase or decrease the number of bins you subscribe to, you must do this as part of your renewal as we are no longer able to do this during the subscription year.

How to renew
We will email you one month before your subscription renewal date to tell you that your payment is due, so please ensure that we have an accurate email address on file for you. If you do not have a ‘My Account’, please set one up or call Customer Services on 01306 885001 to provide an email address for us to contact you on.

To renew, log into ‘My Account’ on our website, go to ‘Garden Waste – Manage my Subscription’, and click ‘renew my subscription’. Enter your credit/debit card details, and you will receive automatic email confirmation that your renewal is complete. Please be aware that MVDC does not accept American Express.

If you need any assistance or if you do not have internet access, Customer Services will be happy to help you renew your subscription over the phone or in our reception.

Please note that if you do not renew when you receive your notification, you will get one reminder about two weeks before the due date. No further reminders will be sent, and if payment is not received by the due date, your subscription will be cancelled, and your bin(s) will be removed.

Setting up a ‘My Account’ and linking your Garden Waste subscription
To create a ‘My Account’ please go to the home page and click on ‘My Account’ in the top right corner. You will then need to link your Account to your Garden Waste subscription.

You can find a step-by-step guide to help you with this process here: www.molevalley.gov.uk/how-to-sign-up-for-my-account

If you need any assistance, you can contact Customer Services on 01306 885001 who will be happy to guide you over the phone.

What happens if I don’t renew on time?
If you do not renew your subscription on or before the renewal date, your garden waste service will automatically be cancelled and your bin(s) removed. To re-subscribe, you will need to log in to ‘My Account’ and complete the ‘Garden Waste – Join the Service’ form on our website. Please note that you’ll also need to pay a bin loan fee in addition to the annual subscription even if you still have a bin at your property.

Cancelling the service
Should you no longer wish to subscribe to this service, please cancel it before your renewal date and we will arrange for your bin(s) to be removed. You can do this by logging in to your ‘My Account’ and choosing ‘Garden Waste – Manage my Subscription’ or by calling Customer Services on 01306 885001.

To check your renewal date, please log into your My Account and click on ‘Garden Waste – Manage my Subscription’. Alternatively, you can call Customer Services.

Please keep your email address updated in ‘My Account’ or by calling 01306 885001. It is your responsibility to ensure this information is accurate.

Terms and Conditions
We have updated our Terms and Conditions for the Garden Waste service. Please see the separate tab for these. By continuing with your garden waste subscription, it is assumed that you accept these revised Terms and Conditions.

1. Garden Waste Collection Service

1.1 MVDC, through its Contractor, operates a chargeable collection service for garden waste for domestic households across the district (‘Garden Waste Collection Service’).

1.2 For an annual subscription, residents will be provided with fortnightly collections of domestic garden waste over a 12-month period.

1.3. The Garden Waste Collection Service is available for use by domestic households only. It is subject to suitable access for the crew and is at the Council’s discretion.

1.4 In addition to the subscription fee, a separate one-off charge is also made at the start of the subscription for the loan of the bin(s) in which garden waste must be placed for collection. This charge covers the replacement of the garden waste bin(s) should it become lost, stolen or damaged during the life of the subscription.

1.5 The bin(s) will remain the property of MVDC and will be removed when the contract ends.

1.6 When you subscribe, we will aim to add your address to the round within 14 days of your sign-up.

1.7 Your subscription year will commence on the day your bin(s) are delivered.

1.8 Garden waste will be collected fortnightly on your allocated collection day (although this may change due to Public/Bank Holidays or exceptional circumstances). Your subscription covers the emptying of your bin only once on your collection day. Information about collection days is available on the Council’s website.

1.9 MVDC reserves the right to alter collections if required and will endeavour to provide adequate notice to all householders that would be affected by the alteration.

1.10 The bin must be presented at the edge of your property by 6am on the day of collection. We will not return for bins that were not presented when the crew arrive. Please note that the time of collection may vary between 6am and 4pm and may not be at the same time each week.

1.11 Once garden waste has been collected from the household it is the property of the Council. Lost property cannot be retrieved and will not be compensated.

2. Subscription and Renewals Information

2.1. The fees for the Garden Waste Collection Service are set out on the MVDC website and are reviewed annually.

2.2. To join the Garden Waste Collection Service, you will need to set up a ‘My Account’. Details on how to do this are on our website under ‘Garden Waste and Composting’. You must make payment for your bin(s) and the subscription by credit or debit card, no other payment method is accepted. Customers who do not have access to the internet can sign up using the internet services at Mole Valley’s reception in Dorking or at any public library. For telephone assistance, please call customer services on 01306 885001.

2.3. You can join the scheme at any time during the year and will receive the fortnightly service for 12 months.

2.4 Amendments to a subscription can only be made at renewal. No changes (e.g. increase number of bins) can be made part-way through a subscription year.

2.5. Customers will be notified in advance by email when the next annual payment is expected which can only be made by credit/debit card. A payment request will be sent approximately 1 month prior to renewal and, if unpaid, one reminder will be sent approximately 2 weeks later. If a subscription has not been paid in full on or before renewal the subscription will be cancelled and the bin removed. Anyone wishing to continue with the Garden Waste Collection Service after this time will need to sign up as a new customer and will be liable for the one-off bin charge in addition to the subscription fee.

2.6 Existing garden waste customers will be required to renew their subscription by debit/credit card for all renewals from 1 January 2025, no other payment method is accepted.

3. Bin Delivery and Bin Maintenance

3.1. Once payment has been made, the Contractor will deliver your bin(s) within 10 working days.

3.2. Occasionally the Contractor’s delivery to you may be affected by unexpected circumstances. If the Contractor is not able to deliver the bin(s) due to operational reasons or stock shortages, the Contractor will deliver the bin(s) as soon as practically possible.

3.4. It is recommended that subscribers put their house number on the bin(s).

3.5 MVDC and/or its contractor is entitled to remove the bin(s) from your property in the event of cancellation of the Garden Waste Collection Service.

3.6 If your bin(s) becomes lost or damaged please request a free replacement on our website via ‘My Account’ or call customer services on 01306 885001.

4. Presentation of Garden Waste

4.1. You may only use the designated garden waste bin(s) provided by MVDC for the chargeable Garden Waste Collection Service.

4.2. Your bin must be presented for collection on the boundary of your property (unless you have registered for an assisted collection) by 6am on your collection day.

4.3 Bin(s) will not be collected if any of the following apply:

• The bin contains anything other than domestic garden waste
• The bin is overflowing or overweight
• The lid of the bin(s) is not closed
• The bin is damaged and emptying it would pose a health and safety risk
• The bin is presented in such a way that it would pose a risk of being damaged by the Council’s equipment (for example, excessive overflow of waste which would prevent the lid from closing).

4.4. If the bin(s) is/are contaminated with materials that are not accepted in the Garden Waste Collection Service, it is your responsibility to remove the contamination before the next scheduled collection. Frequent contamination may result in the cancellation of the Garden Waste Collection Service at the Council’s discretion for which no refund will be made.

4.5. There should be no sacks placed within the bin(s). All garden waste should be placed loose inside the bin(s).

4.6. No side waste will be collected i.e. extra waste next to the bin or balanced on the lid.

4.7. Residents that already receive an assisted collection service for waste and recycling collections will be eligible for an assisted collection for their garden waste.

4.8. The bin(s) should be removed from the public highway as soon as is reasonably practical after collection (it is an offence to obstruct the highway).

4.9 The contents of the bin(s) must be free-flowing. Please do not compact the contents and in cold weather, be aware that damp or wet contents may become frozen and stick to the insides of the bin. If the waste does not empty when lifted by the vehicle mechanism the bin will be left with the contents still in it. If this happens, please safely release the contents ready for the next scheduled collection as we are unable to return to empty frozen or compacted bins.

5. Service Issues

5.1. Should you experience a missed collection, please report this online at molevalley.gov.uk using the online form. You can do this at any time but it must be reported within 2 working days of your collection day. You can also report a miss by calling customer services on 01306 885001.

5.2. We will not return to any bins that were too heavy, contained anything other than domestic garden waste or were not presented in time for the collection until your next scheduled collection. Nor will we return if a bin is suspected of being refilled.

5.3 If bad weather or some other circumstance stops us from emptying your bin(s), we reserve the right to suspend collections without warning. We may try to make up this collection, however, we reserve the right not to return until the next scheduled collection day. Refunds will not be made in these circumstances.

5.4 We reserve the right to suspend collections without warning for up to 2 weeks over the Christmas period depending on annual circumstances. Refunds will not be made in these circumstances.

     5. Moving Home

6.1. Please use your ‘My Account’ to tell us if you are moving home. Alternatively you can call customer services.

6.2 Your subscription can be moved to your new address if you are moving within Mole Valley. Please take your bin with you.

6.3 If you are moving outside of Mole Valley please tell us so that we can cancel the Garden Waste Collection Service and collect the bin. No refund will be given for cancelling the Garden Waste Collection Service.

6.4 The subscription is for the named subscriber only. You cannot transfer your subscription to a new resident at the same property.

7. Cancellation and Refund

7.1 We will refund payment of your new subscription if you request it within 14 days of purchase.  We will collect the garden waste bin if one has been supplied as part of the subscription purchase.

7.2 You can withdraw from the Garden Waste Collection Service at any time; however, no refunds will be issued if you terminate your contract part way through the service year.

7.3 Once cancelled, the Contractor will collect the bin(s) from your usual collection point.

7.4 MVDC reserves the right to cancel a subscription for non-payment and in these circumstances the bin(s) will be removed. Even if the bin remains on site a subscription cannot be re-instated once cancelled, a new subscription would need to be made which will include the one-off payment for the loan of the bin.

7.5 MVDC reserves the right to stop providing a Garden Waste Collection Service in Mole Valley at any time. Should such a decision be made, we will provide as much notice as reasonably possible and a refund may be payable at MVDC’s discretion.

8. Communications

8.1 MVDC will use your email address to provide you with information about your Garden Waste Collection Service, including sending a payment request approximately 1 month prior to renewal and, if unpaid, one email reminder approximately 2 weeks later. If a subscription has not been paid in full on or before renewal the subscription will be cancelled and the bin removed.

8.2 It is the subscriber’s responsibility to ensure their contact details are up to date. These can be viewed by logging into ‘My Account’ after 1 December 2024 or by calling customer services.

8.3. All notices under these Terms and Conditions shall be addressed to the email or home address held on file for the garden waste subscription.

8.4 The default method of communication by the Council is email. A letter will only be sent where an email address is not held on file for the garden waste subscription.

9. Liability and Indemnity

9.1 The Council will not be liable for any loss of profit or any indirect, special or consequential loss, damage, costs, expenses or other claims (whether caused by the Council’s employees, contractors, agents or otherwise) in connection with its provision of the Garden Waste Collection Service or the performance of any of its other obligations under these Terms and Conditions or with the use by the Resident(s) of the Garden Waste Collection Service supplied whether as a result of breach of contract, breach of statutory duty, tort (including negligence) or otherwise howsoever arising.

9.2. The Council shall not be liable to the Resident(s) or be deemed to be in breach of these Terms and Conditions by reason of any delay in performing, or any failure to perform, any of the Council’s obligations if such delay or failure is due to any event, circumstance or cause beyond the Council’s reasonable control.

9.3. Nothing in these Terms and Conditions shall limit or exclude the Council’s liability for death or personal injury caused by its negligence or for any other matters for which it would be unlawful to exclude or limit liability.

9.4 We reserve the right to modify any Terms and Conditions to the Garden Waste Collection Service or the annual subscription charge. Nothing in these Terms and Conditions is intended to affect, nor will affect, a customer’s statutory rights.

10. Data Protection

10.1 For information about how we process your personal data please visit our website and go to the Garden Waste Account Privacy Notice.

Yes please

• branches (no thicker than seven centimetres (three inches)
• hedge trimmings, leaves or small twigs
• garden prunings and cuttings
• dead plants and cut flowers
• weeds
• other organic plant material (e.g. fallen fruit)

No thanks

• soil
• stones, gravel or rubble
• food waste
• pet litter or waste
• timber, wood or sawdust
• plastic bags
• cardboard or paper
• flower pots and seed trays
• glass or metal

Bins containing items it shouldn’t will not be collected and the contamination must be removed prior to the next collection.

Similarly, containers that are considered too heavy for safe handling, will not be emptied and the weight must be reduced.

You are responsible for looking after your bin. If your garden bin is lost or stolen, you can request a replacement.

Email us on info@molevalley.gov.uk or call 01306 885001 to speak to our friendly customer service team.

Home composting is the most environmentally-friendly way to dispose of garden waste as it rots down to produce nutritious compost, which you can then use on your garden.

To find out how to get started, visit the Surrey Environment Partnership website.

Surrey residents can take advantage of a variety of exclusively discounted garden waste products, such as hot composters and food waste digesters, all year round from Great Green Systems.