Complaints about overflowing bins in Edinburgh soar by 77 per cent

New figures show that in May alone 493 residents lodged a complaint to the council about overflowing bins
Springtime complaints about overflowing litter bins increased by 77 per cent on the same time last yearSpringtime complaints about overflowing litter bins increased by 77 per cent on the same time last year
Springtime complaints about overflowing litter bins increased by 77 per cent on the same time last year

Springtime complaints about overflowing litter bins in the capital increased by 77 per cent on the same time last year, according to new figures.

The news comes following weeks of incidents in which careless revellers have left thousands of items of litter in and around Edinburgh parks and Portobello beach.

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In May alone 493 residents lodged a complaint to the council about overflowing bins, a 130 per cent rise on the same time last year.

Meanwhile, April and March saw a complaint rise of 47 and 46 per cent respectively.

The council has confirmed that no extra bins had been placed in city parks and beauty spots during these three months. However, additional larger bins have since been put in areas of high footfall, including coastal locations and parks.

Due to the coronavirus crisis the council has faced difficulties servicing bins across the city.

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But arrangements have now been made to increase the frequency of bin collections in popular locations during periods of sunny weather.

Liberal Democrat transport and environment spokesperson, Cllr Kevin Lang, said: “This huge rise in litter complaints underlines the growing concern in our communities, particularly when it comes to the state of our parks and green spaces.

“I know council officers have worked extremely hard to try and keep on top the problem. Residents and visitors also have an important responsibility to take their litter home or dispose of it properly. However, it is also time for the Council to rethink its approach. In too many places it can be difficult to find a bin and, when you do, it can be full or overflowing.

“There’s a strong case now for introducing more bins in more locations. Continuing with the current approach is only likely to continue the problems we are now seeing”.

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Cllr Lesley Macinnes, Environment Convener, said: “Since lockdown began our street cleansing teams have been working extremely hard with limited resources to keep the city clean and tidy in hugely difficult circumstances. We need your help with that effort by binning litter and taking it home if bins are full.

“We’ve been running several campaigns on social media and across the City to try to encourage everyone to help us look after Edinburgh during the coronavirus pandemic. We’ve also run the ‘Our Edinburgh’ campaign throughout the year which targets lots of anti-social behaviours including littering.

“Please help us spread these messages as far as possible. We have put in extra bins where we can but we need the whole city to play their part. The pictures of litter strewn across the Meadows and other parks recently were simply not acceptable.”