Customer Charter
1. INTRODUCTION:
AWD Waste Solutions is committed to providing the highest standards in the provision of waste management services to their 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 in the area — A Resource Opportunity — Waste Management Policy in Ireland. 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:
a) We will provide a regular and reliable collection 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. Our National Waste Collection Permit Office (NWCPO) waste collection permit number is NWCPO-08-01106-05 ( Oxigen Environmental - Permit Holder ) and the details of the permit can be viewed at www.nwcpo.ie or on the Website www.awdgroup.ie
c) We will provide you with timely, relevant and clear information regarding your collections, including temporary changes resulting from public holidays or adverse weather conditions.
d) We will consider any reasonable special requests that individual households may have.
e) We will explain clearly what our service rules are and the reasons for them.
f) We will respond to formal complaints we receive about our services in a timely and professional manner.
g) We will ensure that there are no direct impediments to you switching your service provider should you wish to do so.
h) We will design our service and carry out collections in a way that minimises litter and odour nuisance.
i) We will offer a “2 Bin” or “3 Bin” service (to facilitate the segregation of residual waste, recyclables and where appropriate, food/bio waste / light garden waste) in line with the relevant regulations in relation to food/bio waste [ the European Union (Household Food Waste and Biowaste) Regulations 2015].
The frequency of collection will be as follows:
• Residual Black Waste Bin—in line with the European Union (Household Food Waste and Bio-waste) Regulations 2015.
• Recyclable Green Waste Bin — at least every fortnight.
• Food & Bio Waste Brown Bin —in line with the European Union (Household Food Waste and Bio-waste) Regulations 2015.
3. COMMUNICATION WITH CUSTOMERS:
a) 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 [www.nwcpo.ie].
b) We will provide you with clear and concise billing, where appropriate which will allow you to understand all elements of the costs involved in providing your waste services.
c) We will inform all customers availing of a domestic waste collection service at least 10 days in advance of any predictable alternative arrangements made for collection in relation to public holidays etc., or any proposal to vary the level of collection.
d) We will keep you informed of changes in our service that are designed to improve our service offering.
e) At the time of initial service provision, each customer will be provided with our details contact information, (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, service provision frequency and details and 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 (usually any time prior to delivery of bins but at least 7 days from time of contract signing).
f) In line with our environmental strategy and reducing paper usage, our preference is for all communication and documents will be sent by email, unless otherwise requested. We are committed to increasing communication by this method.
g) Where applicable, we will alert you at least 30 days in advance of the expiry of your contract.
h) This Charter is produced in line with guidelines provided by the National Adult Literacy Agency.
4. HOUSEHOLDER RESPONSIBILITIES: Your responsibilities for a cleaner environment
a) Prevent, reuse and recycle waste as much as possible. Refer to national and regional campaigns that seek to help reduce waste production. Please present your waste materials, properly segregated and placed in their respective bins / receptacles. Refer to our Waste Segregation and Presentation Guidelines (see section 7 below) which are available on our web site www.awdgroup.ie or which are available to send to you by post, if required.
b) Segregate your waste correctly. E.g. If you mistakenly place food waste in a recycling bin, please remove the food waste immediately (along with any recyclable items which may have been contaminated) and place in the correct bin in order to prevent contamination of the entire bin. (Bins which do not contain the correct or permitted waste material for collection may not be collected by the operator and a sticker will be placed on the bin stating the reason why the bin was not collected on the day of collection).
c) Please ensure that your account is paid up to date to ensure collection services. In the event that you have difficulty paying your outstanding bill, please contact us directly as soon as possible to make appropriate arrangements. We reserve the right to withdraw service provision either permanently or temporarily due to the non-payment of outstanding bills.
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.
5. PRICING, CHARGING MECHANISM AND ACCESS TO ACCOUNT INFORMATION:
a) Where applicable, each bin receptacle provided is unique and assigned to your individual account.
b) The range of service and costs for service provision will be clearly communicated to each Customer
c) New Customers will receive information on charging and pricing structures at the time of sign up, whether over the phone, via website sign-up, at the retail outlet or via completion of hard copy application form.
d) Information, including a copy of the Terms & Conditions will be provided to Customers as part of new Customer Welcome Packs and will be available on the AWD website www.awdgroup.ie.
e) Any changes to the Terms & Conditions of the business will be communicated to customers in a timely manner. Presentation of bin for service collection following such notification shall be taken as acceptance of the updated Terms.
f) Customers will be entitled to easy access to their account information including statements / balances.
g) National policy and legislation has moved towards a position where all customers will be billed according to the weight of the waste that they produce at some point in the future. This is in line with the EU Polluter Pays Principle. IWMA members are committed to adopting this methodology and it will be phased in over time in line with the national timelines. You will be notified in advance of the changes involved and the benefits. For more detailed information please see : http://www.environ.ie/en/Environment/Waste/
6. COMPLAINTS PROCEDURE / DISPUTE RESOLUTION:
a) You are entitled to a fair and reasonable hearing when you have a complaint or dispute. The company is commits to responding to your issues as quickly as is reasonably possible. Please find our contact details for complaints: Tel: 0402 36161 Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
In writing: Attn. Customer Service Manager: AWD Waste Solutions , Glanbia House, Arklow Road, Inch, Co Wexford.
b) We will respond to formal complaints that 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 Terms & Conditions. A copy of these is available on the company website www.awdgroup.ie or which can be 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
a) Ongoing education and awareness is key to environmental protection. We are committed to supporting this programme in relation to waste management for the householders that we service. This will be available via promotional literature that we provide directly to you and via our website www.AWDGROUP.ie & or through the website of the National Waste Collection Permit Office. www.nwpco.ie.
b) Information packs shall be available to all customers clearly indicating waste types appropriate to each bin and how to present 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, which clearly explain which materials are to be placed in which bin and collect at a minimum the recycling materials set out below and as prescribed in the sixth schedule of the Waste Collection Permit Regulations. We can explain to you what happens to materials collected in the residual, recycle and food waste bins.
8. TERMINATION OF SERVICE / REFUNDS / CHANGING SERVICE PROVIDERS:
a) Should you wish to terminate your service provision, please advise us by email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.">This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or in writing to AWD Waste Solutions, Glanbia House, Arklow Road, Inch Co Wexford or by phoning 0402 36161; quoting your account number and giving 30 days’ notice provided your minimum contract period has expired.
We will remove our bins by arrangement with you and any balance owing on your account, after a Bin Retrieval / Cleaning service charge (if applicable) is deducted, will be refunded to you within 30 days of termination.
b) We will ensure that there are no direct impediments to you switching to another service provider, but cancellations will not be accepted from any unauthorised third party.
c) Our Refund Policy and Service Charges are clearly described in Terms & Conditions and are available on our web site or can be despatched by post if requested. The Bin Retrieval / Cleaning Service charge covers costs of retrieval, cleaning and servicing of bins.
9. CHANGING EQUIPMENT AND OWNERSHIP OF BINS:
a) At time of initial service provision, by agreement, most customers will be supplied with the appropriate bins / receptacles sized to service their specific needs. Unless specifically purchased, the bins supplied for service collection remain the property of the AWD Waste Solutions.
b) In the case of changing equipment / ceasing service / changing service provider we commit to organising to arrange the collection of our old bins as soon as is reasonably practicable. We require that our old bins are left empty and easily accessible for collection.
c) This Charter does not affect your statutory rights in any way and provides a simple interpretation of our commitment to you, our customer, and what we expect in return, to help ensure that you are provided with the best service level possible.
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