Christmas 2022 bin collection dates: When your rubbish and recycling will be collected in Edinburgh

It’s business as usual for bin collection in Edinburgh this year but you may want to pay attention to one slight alteration.

Christmas is just over a week away and with the excitement of the festive season mounting, it can be easy to forget about bin day until it’s too late. If you don’t want to be swarmed with wrapping paper sweepings, here’s when the council are coming to collect bins this Christmas in Edinburgh.

Thankfully, City of Edinburgh Council has confirmed on their website that there will be “no changes to our kerbside waste and recycling collections as Christmas Day and New Year’s Day are on a Sunday this year”.

However, there will be a long pause on all collections of garden waste. From December 19, City of Edinburgh Council will not be offering kerbside collection on garden waste till after January 15.

Once collection resumes, Christmas trees can be placed beside your brown recycling bin. If the tree is over 7ft you will need to cut it in half and remove its branches.

The council has given some helpful tips on how to separate your festive waste. Firstly, wrapping paper, envelopes, Christmas cards, tins and recyclable plastic goods should go in Green lidded and green wheeled recycling bins.

Small electrical items including batteries should be placed in a clear bag on top of your blue recycling bin. Any unwanted leftovers or uncooked food from Christmas can be put in the Grey lidded food recycling bin.

The City of Edinburgh Council has gone one step further and posted an extensive list of advice that can help make recycling a bit easier this Christmas. The entire list is available from the CoEC website.

Waste piled up in Edinburgh during the strikes by local council workers, with Cosla central to pay negotiations. Picture: Lisa Ferguson

Despite not being open on Christmas Day, Boxing Day, New Years Day and January 2, City of Edinburgh Council are encouraging you to take your rubbish to one of its listed Recycling Centres.To book or cancel a slot visit the ECC website.