Christmas and New Year bin collection Edinburgh 2021: dates general waste and recycling bins are collected

Christmas Day is all about presents and food – which means it also leads to more waste over the festive period. Here’s when bin collections will take place in Edinburgh, so you can dispose of your rubbish responsibly.

Last year, the City of Edinburgh Council recycled 6,772 tonnes of waste, what it claims is the equivalent weight of 57,000 Santas.

On top of this recycling also comes an increase in food and general waste, with households having more people over for meals and indulging in more food than they would usually eat.

As a result, our bins can easily start to overflow at this time of year and missing a bin day would be disastrous.

Make sure you know when to put your bin out over Christmas and New Year in 2021, so your celebrations aren’t ruined by on overflow of wrapping paper.

Here’s when bins will be collected in Edinburgh over the festive period.

What days will bins be collected in Edinburgh over Christmas and New Year?

Make sure you know when your bins will be collected over the festive period ahead of time: Photo: Ian Georgeson.

The festive period means that the regular bin collection schedule may be disrupted, as staff also get their days off over Christmas.

In Edinburgh, there will be no bin collections on Saturday December 25th and Saturday January 1st.

Local authorities will likely leave a note on your bin or through your letterbox if you live in an area that is affected.

However, even if you didn’t receive a note but you usually have you bins collected on a Saturday, you should expect that your bin will not be collected.

Missing a day at Christmas could be even more troublesome than at other times of year, with increased amounts of household waste. Photo: Getty Images.

For people with regular bin collection days not on a Saturday, your pick-up should not be disrupted.

However, local authorities can often experience disruptions when faced with severe weather, so if we do indeed get a white Christmas, this could cause delays.

There will also be no garden waste bin collection between December 20th and January 16th.

Local authorities will likely do a revised collection on Monday December 27th, so you should put your bin out before 7am on that day for it to be collected.

If you have bulk waste that you want to get rid of, check the recycling centre opening hours in advance of going.

All recycling centres in Edinburgh are closed on December 25th and 26th and January 1st and 2nd.

It’s best to check beforehand to avoid disappointment.

How should I throw away my Christmas tree in Edinburgh?

If you’ve got a real Christmas tree, you’ll need to throw it away at some point after Christmas Day, unless it’s a potted one that will go back in the soil.

Traditionally, you should take down your tree and all your other festive decorations before January 5th, 12 days after Christmas Day.

The City of Edinburgh Council will have dedicated days for you to put your Christmas tree out to be collected and recycled.

Although this service is not yet open for 2021, you can check when the collection date is for your area here when they are published in the coming weeks.