Guildford Borough Council is committed to providing high-quality recycling services to all of our customers. These services are provided for you as a resident or commercial organisation of Guildford Borough.

This Customer Charter states our intention to always deliver high quality services that meet the expectations of our customers.  This Charter provides you with the standards that you can expect from our services and also highlights how you can help us to meet these standards.

The services include the servicing of the recycling ‘bring sites’, commercial recycling collections, garden-waste collections, kerbside recycling box collections and refuse collections.

We aim to:

• provide weekly collections of food waste, paper/card, cans, glass bottles, plastic bottles, household batteries and clothing/textiles from the majority of domestic properties within the borough. (Some services may not be available to some flats or in some locations that have poor access).
• Provide a fortnightly collection of refuse, except where we are unable to provide a weekly collection of food waste. Where this is the case refuse collections will be weekly.

Provide to the majority of domestic properties within the borough: 

1. One green and one purple recycling box or 104 purple recycling sacks* per year.
2. One small kitchen food waste caddy and one large kerbside food waste caddy.
3. One wheeled bin or 104 black sacks** per year, except to those households with 5 or more permanent residents or to households where a resident has a medical condition that results in additional non recyclable waste.

        *Purple recycling sacks are only available to households where
          our standard collection vehicle cannot access the property.

         **Black refuse sacks are only available to those households where
         the property has been deemed unsuitable for a wheeled bin by a
         council officer.

         Additional recycling containers (excluding food waste liners), are available
         free of charge. Contact us on 01483 444499 for more details.

• to provide ‘Assisted Collections’ of recycling containers, bags or bins to residents who are physically unable to place the boxes at the kerbside and have no one to help them to do this
• ensure that all recycling containers and wheeled bins are returned correctly to where they had been presented for collection.  They will not be left blocking driveways
• ensure that all spillages caused by the crew are cleared up by the end of that working day.  The office will be contacted if assistance is required
• ensure that all crews treat customers in a polite and courteous manner with the minimum of disruption
• provide ‘bring sites’ (recycling banks) in suitable locations across the  borough for a wide range of recyclable materials 
• ensure that all ‘bring sites’ are kept clean and tidy
• promote or supply home composters for residents
• provide a green waste collection service for a small fee to domestic properties on request
• provide collection points for Christmas trees across the borough after Christmas each year

We will also:

• respond to all letters within ten working days
• respond to all emails within three working days
• provide the Recycling and Cleansing telephone hotline service for waste and recycling enquiries. We will aim to answer 90% of phone calls within 10 seconds and check the answering service at regular intervals and return calls as required
• ensure the crews leave cards clearly showing you why your recycling boxes, caddies, bins or garden waste sacks have not been emptied if there is a problem with the contents.
• ensure that if we have failed to empty your boxes, bins, caddies or bags on the due collection day they will be cleared by the end of the following working day

You can help us by:

• ensuring your recycling boxes, kerbside food waste caddies and garden waste sacks are put out for collection by 7.00am on the day of collection
• ensuring that your wheeled bins or black refuse sacks are put out for collection by 6.00am on the day of collection
• trying to recycle or compost as much as you can
• telling us your concerns and any problems you have experienced
• treating our staff in a polite and courteous manner and in the same way that you would wish to be treated
• rinsing out your bottles, jars and cans before putting them into the recycling box
• keeping your recycling boxes and food waste caddies clean
• not placing plastic bags or other non-compostable waste in your food waste caddy
• not placing hazardous materials such as oil, asbestos and paint in either the wheeled bin or black sacks
• not placing garden waste in your wheeled bin or sacks - a seperate collection service for garden waste is available for a small charge
• not placing sharp items such as broken crockery, glass, knives and needles unprotected in sacks or boxes. Please wrap these items securely in newspaper or card and place in your wheeled bin or refuse sack
• putting your house number on your boxes, caddies and bins so the crew can return them correctly
• ensuring that the boxes or purple recycling sacks, caddies and garden waste bags are out on the kerb and are clearly visible and that your wheeled bin or sacks are placed at the boundary of your property next to the road or at the kerbside and also clearly visible.  Please do not stack your refuse bags on top of the boxes
• providing us with all the information we need to provide you with the correct level of service or to address your complaint
• taking notice of any information we provide regarding our services

For further information contact the Recycling Hotline.

The Recycling Hotline
Woking Road Depot
Woking Road
Guildford
Surrey
GU1 1QE

Tel: 01483 444499
Email: recycling@guildford.gov.uk