The Evening News backs Capital clean up with Bin Watch campaign

Send us your pictures of rubbish to clean up the Capital. Picture; Steven Scott Taylor

As you walk the length and breadth of Edinburgh, from Arthur’s Seat to the Forth Bridge, the Royal Mile to the Pentland Hills, it is often simply stunning.

That picture postcard beauty makes the scenes of overflowing bins that we have been bombarded with in recent days all the harder to accept. How on earth have we allowed our fabulous city to get in such a state?

Today we are asking for your help to sort out this almighty mess.

When we have asked you in recent days to tell us about the problems you are experiencing in your streets - and to send us pictures - the response has been overwhelming. Hundreds of you have responded and we want to thank everyone of you for doing that.

But we want you to do more. The spotlight is now firmly focused on what has quite rightly been described as Edinburgh’s Modern Disgrace. We want your help to keep it there until the problem is sorted.

So, when you see rubbish piling up on the streets and bins left to overflow for days, let us know. We’ll then highlight the problem until something is done.

These pictures won’t make for pretty viewing. We make no apology for that. Believe us, we would much rather be reporting on more of the great things going on in Edinburgh.

But this is a problem that has been going on for years - and it is only getting worse. You, collectively, are now complaining to the city council almost 150 times every single day. Yet they are still not getting a grip on things.

Rubbish is piling up on the streets and bin collections are being missed left, right and centre. At the same time, bizarrely and incredibly, our bin men are being asked to work only half shifts. They are told they can leave once their rounds are finished, meaning some belt round as quick as possible and head home up to four hours early. It’s ludicrous - but it has been allowed to go on for years.

Collecting our waste is one of the most basic duties of the city council. Yet as we sit here today they are failing in that duty. We know that if we ignore the problem, it won’t go away.

The time has come for action.