These Terms & Conditions ("Terms") govern your access to and use of the Better Waste Streams Academy website, training modules, downloadable materials, certificates, and related services (collectively, the "Service"), operated by Better Waste Streams Academy ("Better Waste Streams", "we", "us", or "our"), an offering of the underlying zero-waste consulting practice. By creating an account, purchasing a module or subscription, or otherwise using the Service, you ("you" or the "Customer") agree to be bound by these Terms.
1. The Service
Better Waste Streams Academy provides on-demand educational content designed to help San Francisco commercial properties move toward compliance with the City and County of San Francisco Refuse Separation Ordinance and related Recology service requirements. The Service is educational only. It is not legal advice, is not a substitute for an on-site waste audit, and does not guarantee resolution of any noncompliance notice, fine, or enforcement action issued by the San Francisco Department of the Environment or any other agency.
2. Accounts & Seats
To purchase or access training, you must create an account and provide accurate, current information. Property/business accounts ("Organizations") may assign seats to individual staff members within the seat count of the purchased product. Each seat is for a single named individual; sharing login credentials is prohibited. You are responsible for all activity that occurs under your account and for keeping your credentials confidential.
3. Payments — Paddle as Merchant of Record
All purchases on the Service are processed by Paddle.com Market Limited and its affiliates ("Paddle"), which acts as the merchant of record (the reseller) for every transaction. This means Paddle — not Better Waste Streams — is the seller of the digital products and subscriptions on the Service for tax, billing, and payment-compliance purposes. By completing a purchase you also agree to Paddle's Buyer Terms and Privacy Notice.
Paddle handles payment processing, currency conversion, fraud screening, sales tax / VAT calculation, collection and remittance, invoicing, receipts, refunds, chargebacks, and billing-related customer support. Your bank or card statement will show a descriptor that includes Paddle alongside the Better Waste Streams Academy brand. Better Waste Streams remains responsible for the educational content, course access, and product support.
4. Pricing, Renewals & Taxes
- One-time purchases (individual modules, full-catalog bundles) grant access for the time-boxed window stated at checkout (for example, 6 or 12 months). Access ends automatically at the end of that window and is not auto-renewed.
- Monthly subscriptions are billed each month and carry a three-month minimum commitment. The plan cannot be cancelled during that minimum term; after the third billing month it continues month to month and may be cancelled effective at the end of any subsequent month. Cancelling does not retroactively refund months already billed.
- Annual subscriptions are billed in advance for a 12-month term and automatically renew for successive 12-month terms at the then-current price unless cancelled before the renewal date through your account page or via the Paddle receipt link.
- All prices are displayed in U.S. dollars and are exclusive of applicable sales tax, VAT, GST, or similar taxes, which Paddle will calculate, add at checkout, and remit to the appropriate authority.
5. Refund Policy
We offer a 14-day refund on any single-module or bundle purchase provided that no more than 25% of the included lessons have been marked complete and no certificate of completion has been issued. Annual subscriptions may be cancelled at any time to prevent the next renewal but are non-refundable for the current term once charged, except where required by applicable law. All refund requests are processed through Paddle; email info@betterwastestreams.com to initiate a request.
6. License to Use Content
Subject to your payment of all applicable fees and your compliance with these Terms, Better Waste Streams grants you a limited, non-exclusive, non-transferable, non-sublicensable license to access and view the training modules, and to download the checklists, SOPs, signage, and other downloadable materials for internal use at the purchasing Organization's property only, for the duration of your access window or active subscription.
You may not, and may not permit any third party to:
- resell, sublicense, rent, lease, or redistribute the content;
- post the content on any public or shared network, learning management system, or file-sharing platform;
- remove, obscure, or alter any copyright, trademark, or proprietary notice;
- use the content to develop a competing product, training program, or AI model (including by scraping or training on the materials);
- represent any certificate of completion as a government-issued credential or as evidence of compliance certified by Recology or the City of San Francisco.
7. Intellectual Property
The Service and all content, including text, video, graphics, checklists, templates, curriculum structure, trademarks, and the Better Waste Streams Academy name and logo, are owned by Better Waste Streams or its licensors and are protected by U.S. and international copyright and trademark law. Except for the limited license in Section 6, no rights are granted to you. The names "Recology", "San Francisco Department of the Environment", and any related marks are the property of their respective owners and are referenced only nominatively for educational purposes; Better Waste Streams is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by those entities.
8. Acceptable Use
You agree not to:
- access the Service by any means other than the interface we provide;
- interfere with, disrupt, or attempt to gain unauthorized access to the Service or any related systems;
- upload viruses, malware, or any code intended to damage or surveil the Service;
- use the Service to violate any applicable law or the rights of any third party.
9. Privacy
Account information, learning progress, and certificate records are processed by Better Waste Streams to deliver the Service. Payment information is collected and processed directly by Paddle and is governed by the Paddle Privacy Notice. We do not sell personal information. For a description of how we collect and use personal information, contact us at the address below; a full Privacy Policy is available on request and will be published on the Service.
10. Disclaimers
THE SERVICE AND ALL CONTENT ARE PROVIDED "AS IS" AND "AS AVAILABLE" WITHOUT WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, WHETHER EXPRESS, IMPLIED, STATUTORY, OR OTHERWISE, INCLUDING ANY WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, NON-INFRINGEMENT, OR THAT USE OF THE SERVICE WILL RESULT IN COMPLIANCE WITH ANY ORDINANCE, REGULATION, OR ENFORCEMENT ACTION. BETTER WASTE STREAMS DOES NOT GUARANTEE THAT NONCOMPLIANCE NOTICES, FINES, OR ENFORCEMENT ACTIONS WILL BE AVOIDED, REDUCED, OR DISMISSED AS A RESULT OF COMPLETING ANY TRAINING MODULE.
11. Limitation of Liability
TO THE MAXIMUM EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW, IN NO EVENT WILL BETTER WASTE STREAMS, ITS AFFILIATES, OR ITS LICENSORS BE LIABLE FOR ANY INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL, CONSEQUENTIAL, EXEMPLARY, OR PUNITIVE DAMAGES, OR ANY LOSS OF PROFITS, REVENUE, DATA, GOODWILL, OR BUSINESS OPPORTUNITY, ARISING OUT OF OR RELATED TO THESE TERMS OR THE SERVICE. BETTER WASTE STREAMS'S AGGREGATE LIABILITY ARISING OUT OF OR RELATED TO THESE TERMS OR THE SERVICE WILL NOT EXCEED THE GREATER OF (A) THE AMOUNTS YOU PAID TO PADDLE FOR THE SERVICE IN THE TWELVE (12) MONTHS PRECEDING THE EVENT GIVING RISE TO THE CLAIM, OR (B) ONE HUNDRED U.S. DOLLARS (US$100).
12. Indemnification
You agree to defend, indemnify, and hold harmless Better Waste Streams and its officers, employees, and contractors from any third-party claim arising out of (a) your misuse of the Service, (b) your violation of these Terms, or (c) your violation of any law or third-party right.
13. Suspension & Termination
We may suspend or terminate your access to the Service at any time, with or without notice, if we reasonably believe you have violated these Terms or pose a security or legal risk. Upon termination, your license to use the content ends, but Sections 6 through 14 will survive.
14. Governing Law & Dispute Resolution
These Terms are governed by the laws of the State of California, without regard to its conflict-of-laws principles. Any dispute arising out of or relating to these Terms or the Service will be brought exclusively in the state or federal courts located in San Francisco County, California, and you consent to personal jurisdiction and venue there.
15. Changes to These Terms
We may update these Terms from time to time. The "Effective" date at the top of this page indicates when the latest revision took effect. Material changes will be communicated by email to the account owner or by a notice within the Service. Continued use of the Service after changes take effect constitutes acceptance.
16. Contact
Questions about these Terms or the Service: info@betterwastestreams.com. Billing, refund, and payment questions are handled by Paddle as merchant of record and can be initiated from your Paddle receipt or by emailing the address above.
By clicking "Get started", "Subscribe", or completing checkout, you acknowledge that you have read, understood, and agree to be bound by these Terms and by Paddle's Buyer Terms. See also our pricing page for current product offerings.