Edinburgh waste and recycling: New Town residents opt for bin hubs rather than switching to gull-proof sacks

Heritage groups and the New Town and Broughton community council had argued the bin hubs - sets of six bins positioned at regular intervals - would ruin the streetscape of the World Heritage Site.

Instead they championed gull-proof sacks (GPS) - large canvas bags which residents place rubbish bags inside and hang on their railings for collection.

Most streets which were recommended to switch to gull-proof sacks will now get bin hubs instead | TSPL

A two-year trial of GPS in certain streets in the New Town was judged a success, with a reported increase in recycling.

But "bin wars" broke out when the council proposed extending GPS to other surrounding streets, affecting around 3,500 properties.

While the community council and some residents' associations campaigned in favour of GPS, a rival "Say No to gull-proof sacks" campaign sprang up, arguing that having to store rubbish in a flat until collection day would be smelly, unhygienic and impractical.

Posters for and against the changes appeared on lamp posts and railings and leaflets were circulated.

Now the results of a six-week consultation which ended in April show that 73 per cent of responses from people in streets which were recommended to move to GPS were opposed to the idea.

So the council is planning to drop the proposal for most of these streets and introduce communal bin hubs instead. Most of the streets which already have GPS will keep them.

Residents who rejected the GPS proposal cited lack of storage space inside properties for waste and recycling; the negative health impact of storing waste such as nappies inside; the difficulty of carrying full sacks down to the street; and the likelihood of missing collections due to work patterns and holidays.

Transport and environment convener Stephen Jenkinson acknowledged that heritage groups may not be happy with the outcome and said the council would continue to consult with them.

He said the bin hubs in the World Heritage Site had a different design. "They're a different shape and style and they're black rather than silvery, to blend into that environment a little bit better.

"Obviously the placement is important and that will form part of the discussions we'll have with the residents. But you have to bear in mind that picking up waste and recycling waste is a statutory element of what we do as a city.

"While it's perfectly reasonable to have discussions with heritage groups around how that service can look going forward, we have to deliver that service. We have to pick up people's waste and we have to do it as efficiently as possible.

"We will work with residents to design a service that ticks as many boxes as possible."