Lothian MSP reveals pressure on bins and budgets with Freedom of Information request
A freedom of information request has revealed that Edinburgh Council has received a record number of complaints about littering and bins, while spending on waste services has more than doubled in less than ten years.
The FOI, submitted by Miles Briggs MSP, shows that service requests for litter collection in 2024 were at their highest level since 2016 and service requests for full or overflowing domestic bins were up nearly 50% on 2023.
Meanwhile, ‘Escalated service requests’ (complaints) about litter and full bins rose by 100% from 2023 to 2024 and 1300% since 2016, when there was only one complaint.
Spending on waste services has more than doubled since 2016 to a high of over £16m in 2024/25, exceeding the annual budget by more than £100k. Last year it was revealed that Edinburgh City Council is nearly £2bn in debt.
Miles Briggs, Conservative MSP for Lothian, said:
“I am shocked to see that waste services are costing our city more than £16m a year.
“As Edinburgh’s population grows, requests for waste collection will increase. However, the fact that complaints have risen so sharply, and that spending has more than doubled, shows that something isn’t right.
“At a time when the city is nearly £2bn in debt, it is concerning that budgets are being exceeded like this.
“We have seen a rapid increase in vandalism, theft, and antisocial behaviour take place in Edinburgh recently and now it seems littering is following the same trend.
“I am grateful to our Conservative Councillors for securing additional funding for the excellent ‘Pride in our City’ project, which continues to help to address this problem.
“Nonetheless, I urge the council to investigate this dramatic rise in cost, evaluate whether taxpayers’ money is being spent efficiently, and consider reforming their waste collection services so that bins are collected more frequently – especially in the busy summer months.
“I also suggest SNP ministers reconsider their naïve attitude to law and order, putting policemen on the streets, so that littering does not get out of control in our beautiful city.”