Council waste disposal - your views online

Edinburgh locals complain to council about overflowing bins and 'filthy' city centre

A large amount of waste is left discarded in the Meadows, following a large social gathering

Tim Wight

People will still vote for the administration and re-elect them, imagine that! Despite the appalling incompetence, the poor level of basic services and the appalling unprofessional behaviour in the council offices many people will still vote for them.

Dorothy Maitland

Couldn’t agree more. Council should be ashamed of the state of our beautiful city.

Jacqueline Calder

It encourages rats and vermin.

Darren Ainslie

Council too busy with trams and cycle lanes to worry about rubbish. Perhaps if the council actually had the staff and funding for them, it would be a thing of the past.

Stuart Young

The council are paid by central government to collect the rubbish and clean up any mess but they don’t do it.

Lorraine Evans

It's an absolute disgrace. It's the same on Porty Prom. There should be squads out first thing clearing the previous day's rubbish. Credit to one of the business owners in Portobello who is employing people to clean up, but the council need to get their finger out.

Michael Worobec

These idiotic, badly designed bins are not fit for purpose. The problem is boxes and packages from the likes of Amazon. Many do not crush or flatten, so huge amounts of space is very quickly wasted in these dramatically too small metal bins. The lids are heavy and mechanical and break very often. Able bodied as I am, I struggle - what about an old person? We need to flatten this waste.

Keith Spalding

To sum up. The whole of Edinburgh council is a shambles and a disgrace. They should get their act together and not expect a pay rise every year for shoddy work. How about a rebate to everyone and do the job right, then we decide if you get a pay rise or not. Or keep your jobs!

Steven Robertson

It’s been like this for years, our beautiful city is blighted by rubbish and litter and the council just doesn’t care.

Gary Clark

The council does need to sort this out. However, I'm sure there's a small percentage of residents that don't know how to recycle properly and chuck everything in landfill exacerbating the situation!

Pauline Weddell

Been like that for years. Used to go up St Mary’s and it was strewn with rubbish.

Scott Fairbairn

Tourist tax may release funds to empty bins more often!

Patrick Hogg

Not only the city centre, the whole city is a shambles!

Daniele Dessì

Disgusting, higher council tax for fewer services.

Derek Sives

The public is to blame for a big part of this mess. Education is the only way to sort this. I was taught to keep my rubbish with me till I found a bin.

Ross Lyall

The whole of Edinburgh is filthy, every street. They don't care, the council.

Thelma Leggatt Miller

It’s beyond time that the First Minister had a word in the ear of those members of the council who accept a salary yet do little to earn it. Edinburghers are sick of the mess the city is in. Even complaining falls on deaf ears. I can’t remember a summer when the city was at its best for the Festival and all who visited. Remember, this is a huge revenue brought into the city by tourists.

Tom Wishart

It's not just bins overflowing. You should see the rubbish from Ferry Road (Muirhouse Green) right down to Morrisons supermarket. The hedges are full of plastic, cans, rubbish etc. Between rubbish and potholes the city is a mess.

Alex Monaghan

Couldn’t agree more. Waste bins in the Royal Mile area are usually overflowing by the end of each day. Need more regular emptying.

Lorraine Logie

It really is heartbreaking. I sometimes wonder if this is being allowed to happen to prepare us for some unwelcome action by the council. Outside of the bins issue the other problem is people, sadly. The streets are full of litter from fast food takeaways, cigarette ends and covered in spat out chewing gum. So many people just don't care and there needs to be some kind of penalty system in place and actually adhered to. Business owners also need to take at least some responsibility for the area outside of their own premises. If everyone did that, it could make quite a difference.

Pawel Łuniewski

Well know problem, since ages.

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