Edinburgh bin hubs: Residents fear rule changes on location of hubs don't go far enough

Councillors are today set to approve a relaxation of the criteria for the siting of bin hubs following widespread complaints. Current rules say that residents should not have to walk more than 100 metres or cross a road to reach their bin hub.

Councillor Marie-Clair Munro with residents campaigning against bin hubs outside people's doors and windows | supplied

But the changes would allow distances of up to 120 metres and would also mean hubs could be on the opposite side of the road, next to a blank wall or piece of ground, so long as it was within a 20mph zone, the road was not more than 10.5 metres wide, there was no history of accidents and there was a safe space to use the bin, with a pavement at least 1.5 metres wide.

Officials say they already know of 12 cases where the new rules would mean bin hubs could be removed because there was another hub across the road and another six cases where hubs could be relocated across the road.

But campaigners fear there will be many other cases where bin hubs have been placed right outside people’s front doors or living room or bedroom windows and the new rules will not permit them to be moved.

Kate Mcnairney, of the South Meadows Action Group, argued the current criteria were too restrictive. She said: “Residents are quite capable of crossing the road without presenting a risk to themselves or other road users.

“And most shops are significantly more than 100 metres from a residence. So, requiring residents to travel 200 or even 300 metres to carry their rubbish would be preferable compared to hosting hubs right outside our doors.”

She is due to speak as a deputation to the transport and environment committee ahead of the decision. The action group argues residential amenity should always take priority.

It wants a ban on bin hubs being placed across residential entrances or open gardens. It also argues the separation of glass recycling bins from the bin hubs should be considered because of the noise and says food bins are too unhygienic to be included in every hub.

Morningside Tory councillor Marie-Clair Munro said she feared the proposed changes to the location rules were just “tweaks” which would not deal with residents’ complaints.

“They're not changing that much,” she said. “I’m concerned the framework will be changed slightly but will not address the residents' concerns and the fact so many of them feel they have been unfairly treated when alternative locations have been shown to council officers and only a few of them have been moved and the rest of the residents are having to have the bin hubs right outside their living room and bedroom windows.”

Cllr Munro has tabled amendments which would treat the new rules as “best case guidelines” and allow for residents, councillors and officers to agree “discretionary siting of a hub” which did not meet the rules, in recognition of variations between different streets.

And she is also calling for glass bins to be sited away from residential properties.