Local councillor hits out at Edinburgh City Council over litter problem in Drumbrae

A local councillor has hit out at the council’s inability to deal with the litter crisis outside of the Drumbrae Leisure centre.
Watch more of our videos on Shots! 
and live on Freeview channel 276
Visit Shots! now

Let us know what you think and join the conversation at the bottom of this article.

A bin hub that contains several industrial mixed recycling bins as well as ones for industrial generic waste and glass recycling is situated on the middle corner of Drumbrae Crescent.

Overflow from the area has meant that litter has been strewn across the adjacent fields.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Several litter picker events have taken place in the area with locals saying they are tackling a problem on a similar scale to painting the Forth Bridge.

Everything from old crisp packets and sweet wrappers to cardboard from shiny new kitchen appliances can be seen sticking out of bushes and the greenspace surrounding the leisure centre.

Local councillor Mark Brown said: “I guess it's just really the frustration that these things always seem to need to be reported in order for them to be emptied and it's largely in the same hot spots.

Bins overflowing by Drumbrae Leisure CentreBins overflowing by Drumbrae Leisure Centre
Bins overflowing by Drumbrae Leisure Centre

“There's also the ongoing issue surrounding fly-tipping across the community.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

“It's all fine and well warning stickers being placed in the communal bin areas however it's abundantly clear this is proving to be no threat at all as the issue continues to blight the area as much now as it did before Covid.

“This administration needs to focus on offering its citizens value for money on fundamental services instead of channelling their attention on whatever the vanity project of the day is.”

A council spokesperson said: “We appreciate that overflowing bins are unsightly and inconvenient for the public, and we endeavour to empty these as quickly as possible. These bins are recycling ones which often have lots of non-recyclable material in them so different crews are required to empty them and they are scheduled to be emptied today.

“Due to the pandemic more people are working from home which is producing a large increase in domestic waste across the city. It is really important with our recycling bins that people only dispose of the correct materials in them. Our teams are working as quickly and efficiently as they can to make sure that we keep the city clean and it’s really important the public support us by disposing of rubbish properly.”

A message from the Editor:

Thank you for reading this article. We're more reliant on your support than ever as the shift in consumer habits brought about by coronavirus impacts our advertisers.

If you haven't already, please consider supporting our trusted, fact-checked journalism by taking out a digital subscription.

Related topics:

Comment Guidelines

National World encourages reader discussion on our stories. User feedback, insights and back-and-forth exchanges add a rich layer of context to reporting. Please review our Community Guidelines before commenting.