Edinburgh City Council issues update on garden waste and glass collections

Edinburgh Council has new information on collection schedules.

Garden waste bin collections will be reintroduced “as soon as it is safe to do so”, according to The City of Edinburgh Council.

Collections and special uplifts are currently suspended while recycling centres remain closed during the lockdown.

The service update comes as the Council announced it would restart fortnightly kerbside glass recycling collections from Tuesday, 28 April.

Read the full story: Glass collection to resume in Edinburgh next week

The Council said it suspended services across the city in March to “prioritise resources” and make sure bin crews could “observe social distancing guidelines.”

In a public meeting earlier today, Paul Lawrence, the Council’s Executive Director of Place, said the decision to prioritise glass waste was based on "practical considerations", including the areas of the city which had lost the service, and the type of vehicles that have allowed it to be reintroduced.

Lib Dem Cllr Osler told followers on Twitter that glass collections were being resumed due to an “increase in fly tipping” across the city.

Green waste collections were suspended in March.

The Council told members that “the return of several team members from absence” as well as the introduction of “new collection arrangements” had made the decision feasible.

“We’re encouraging residents to put out only one blue box on their collection date, filled to the brim and not over-filled, and to store any excess glass for the next collection,” the member’s briefing said.

“This is to protect the safety of crews, as boxes may become too heavy to lift if overflowing.

“Garden waste collections and special uplifts are currently suspended while Household Waste and Recycling Centres remain closed, though we’re working hard to reintroduce these services as soon as it is safe to do so,” it concluded.

A Message from the Editor

Thank you for reading this story on our website. While I have your attention, I also have an important request to make of you.

In order for us to continue to provide high quality and trusted local news on this free-to-read site, I am asking you to also please purchase a copy of our newspaper.

Our journalists are highly trained and our content is independently regulated by IPSO to some of the most rigorous standards in the world. But being your eyes and ears comes at a price. So we need your support more than ever to buy our newspapers during this crisis.

With the coronavirus lockdown having a major impact on many of our local valued advertisers - and consequently the advertising that we receive - we are more reliant than ever on you helping us to provide you with news and information by buying a copy of our newspaper.

Thank you

Frank O'Donnell

Editorial Director