Piershill communal bins have resulted in rotting garbage in the streets in shocking example of council neglect – John McLellan

According to council leader Adam McVey, the new communal bins system is the “biggest improvement to recycling and waste in decades” but that’s not the experience of locals in Piershill.

Hubs have been sited right outside stair entrances and, in a densely populated district, the result is residents having to pick their way past rotting garbage to get to their homes.

From an inspection this week, it’s clear that the situation is, if anything, getting worse, not better, and there are parts of the estate which are shocking examples of what can only be described as council neglect.

Nearby is a good example of council investment for which there was no local demand, the cycleway which costs thousands but has done very little to improve safety, while local people have been begging for proper investment in waste management for years.

It all comes down to priorities and if the SNP-Labour administration had acted on the priorities as Piershill people saw them, floating bus-stops would not be one of them.

Sure enough, when I was there this week a cyclist went down the segregated lane the wrong way, creating an additional hazard for pedestrians.

A request has been made for the frequency of waste collections to be increased, but a complete re-think of how the Piershill estate and its extensive, publicly owned green space is managed is really what’s required.

New Town locals angered by the imposition of new bin hubs can pool their resources and talk about court action, but that’s not an option open to Piershill folk. They just want to be treated with respect.

John McLellan is a Conservative councillor for Craigentinny/Duddingston

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