Tag: bin collections

Edinburgh residents asked to prepare for strike action

The Council has published advice and guidance to help residents manage the impact of planned strike action in the city.

The industrial action by members of the GMB and Unite unions, scheduled to last from tomorrow, 18th –30 August, is expected to cause significant disruption to the city’s waste and cleansing services.

Residents are being asked to check the dedicated pages on the Council’s website and social media channels for advice on how to manage their waste safely and responsibly during the strike.

Regular updates on suspended services and on when collections will restart following the strike will be posted as and when they become available.

It is anticipated that all bin collections and street cleaning will be affected. The city’s three recycling centres will be closed and bulky uplift and flytipping services will also be paused as a result of the action.

Commercial waste services for businesses are not collected by the Council and will continue as normal, as will street cleansing on the High Street and Mound Precinct, which are managed by the Fringe Society.

Council leader Cammy Day said: “It’s now looking increasingly likely that industrial action will go ahead here in Edinburgh and in other cities across the country. Together with my fellow council leaders, I’ll continue to press the Scottish Government to resolve this as quickly as possible.

“I firmly believe that all council colleagues deserve to be paid fairly for the work they do and have every right to take this action and have their voices heard. As the lowest funded council in Scotland, it’s time for the Scottish Government to properly fund our Capital city and its services.

“I fully appreciate the impact this action will have on our city and we’re asking residents to be patient and work with us to help manage the inevitable impacts by planning ahead and following our advice.

“We’ve published tips on what to do with their waste and recycling and how they can help us to keep the city as clean as possible during and after the strike.

“We’re also reaching out to our tenants and housing associations, businesses, festivals and other partners asking them to share our messaging and provide whatever support they can during this busy and important time for our Capital city.

“We’re developing a detailed recovery plan so clean ups can begin and services can resume as quickly as possible after the strike.

“Please continue to check our website and social media channels for updates.”

NOTE: The pictures above were taken earlier this week – i.e. BEFORE the strike starts

Council catches up with bin collections as conditions ease

Council staff have been working around the clock to minimise disruption after this week’s heavy snowfall in the city – and now bin collections have resumed too.

Roads service teams have been out day and night to clear snow from priority pavements, cycle paths and roads, as well as outside COVID vaccination centres. Due to the volume of snowfall they often need to treat and re-treat the the network to keep it passable.

As a result of the severe weather and lying snow the council took the decision to suspend all waste and cleansing services and close recycling centres. During this time, waste and cleansing staff will help gritting teams to clear snow as quickly as possible.

Transport and Environment Convener Councillor Lesley Macinnes said on Tuesday: “We had our full fleet of gritters and mini-tractors out yesterday and throughout the night, treating roads, pavements and cycle lanes and clearing priority routes of snow.

“The team have been focusing on COVID vaccination centres and key arterial routes to make sure anyone needing to make an essential journey or to receive a COVID vaccination is able to.

Frontline staff in both roads and waste and cleansing services have been working tirelessly in the face of heavy snowfall, which can at times pose a safety risk. For this reason, we have decided to suspend waste collections, close recycling centres and cancel special uplifts, due to lying snow, for the safety of staff and the public. In the meantime, waste and cleansing staff will be assisting with snow-clearing efforts to help keep the city moving.

“We hope that everyone will understand that these are exceptional circumstances and that, while it may produce a temporary inconvenience for some residents, it is a sensible decision to prioritise safety for our crews and residents alike. We will resume waste collections as quickly as possible and thank the public for their patience – we will keep our website and social media updated with the latest information.”

Transport and Environment Vice Convener Councillor Karen Doran said: “Roads services teams have been working extremely hard overnight and will continue treating the city throughout the day. They will often need to revisit key routes multiple times to make sure they are passable when poor weather persists.

“With further snow and bitterly cold weather forecast we’ll need to concentrate on priority routes, revisiting these where necessary when further snow falls and ice forms. Squads will benefit from the assistance of waste and cleansing staff during this severe weather.

“I would encourage residents only to travel if it’s absolutely necessary and to take extra care if they do.”

Anyone with a booking for a recycling centre or a special uplift will receive an email about rebooking their appointment.

Further information and tips on clearing snow and gritting priority routes is available on the Council website.

Today will be largely dry with a maximum temperature of 2 – 3%; but there will be a few snow showers in eastern areas lingering through the day. Cloud will be patchy allowing for plenty of sunny spells. A little breezy.

Communal bin collection service to be overhauled

Edinburgh’s communal bin collection system is set to be redesigned to improve the service for thousands of residents across the city, subject to approval by the city council’s Transport and Environment Committee tomorrow. As part of the shake-up, a trial would see communal landfill and packaging bin collections increased to every other day, as opposed to the current average rate of twice weekly. 

Continue reading Communal bin collection service to be overhauled

Festive waste collection & Christmas Tree recycling arrangements

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For the majority of Edinburgh households there will be no change to collection dates for green wheelie bins, food waste bins and red and blue boxes over the festive period.

However, there will be no collections on CHRISTMAS DAY (Friday 25 December) or NEW YEAR’S DAY (Friday 1 January).

Collections for households whose bins or recycling boxes were due to be picked up on these dates have been rescheduled for Saturday 26 December and Saturday 2 January respectively. 

Residents are reminded that bins and boxes must be on the kerbside by 6am ready for collection.

There will be no special uplifts between Tuesday 24 December and Tuesday 5 January. Normal service will resume on Wednesday 6 January.

All information about festive collections has been added to the Council’s website where residents can check collection dates for bins and Christmas trees, and report missed bins.

Christmas Tree recycling

Residents will once again be able to recycle their real Christmas trees at the kerbside this year, no matter where they live.

Those with a brown bin should chop up their Christmas tree and place it inside their bin on the kerbside by 6am on their next garden waste collection day (collection days can be checked on the city council website).

Residents in communal areas that use on street shared bins can put their tree on the pavement outside their property on designated collection dates during January – check the website to see when collectiions are taking place in your area. Trees over 6ft tall should be cut in half first.

To enable trees to be recycled, residents are reminded:

– To remove all decorations from the Christmas tree
– To remove stands from trees
– To please cut the tree if is 6ft tall or more
– Not to place trees in plastic bags, as this means they cannot be recycled

You can also take Christmas trees to any of the Community Recycling Centres. The sites will be closed 25, 26 December and 1, 2 January.

Councillor Lesley Hinds, Environment Convener, said: “I’m delighted that thanks to all staff working together to deliver the service that, with the exception of Christmas Day and New Years Day, we are able to run all our waste and recycling collections as normal during the festive period.

“It’s important not to forget about recycling at this time of year, especially as we produce so much waste. You would be amazed at how much stuff we use at this time of year that is recyclable, like cardboard and wrapping paper, so please take advantage of our recycling facilities as much as you can.

“Whether they put their tree out with their brown bin, leave it out for collection in communal bin areas on designated days or take it to a Community Recycling Centre, people can make sure that their real Christmas tree is recycled once the festive season is over.

” It’s never been easier to check information or report things online so I would remind you  to check our website over the festive period for any possible changes to collections if the weather is bad or for information on recycling.”

Waste and recycling collections may be subject to change in the event of severe weather. For more information on what to do if services are disrupted due to bad weather, visit the city council’s severe weather pages.

Calendars online for 2016 collections

There are no changes to the 2016 collections. The new bin calendar is on the city council’s bin collection day page now.

Talking about improvements in West Pilton …

Community Council to hold mobile meetings!

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Sometimes it’s not too easy to get people to attend meetings, so West Pilton West Granton community councillors have come up with a plan: if residents can’t always come to meetings, we’ll take the meetings to them!

Community council members will be meeting local residents in their own back-greens tomorrow to discuss community ideas for environmental improvements.

They have leafletted the stairs in the blocks they will be visiting in West Pilton Gardens, West Pilton Avenue and Ferry Road Avenue (the section to Pennywell Road) and you may also have spotted the eye-catching mobile noticeboard outside the North Local Office in West Pilton Gardens earlier this week.

West Pilton West Granton community council chairman Willie Black explained: “Money has been made available to improve the environment of the backgreens, so we are inviting residents to share their views on what should be done.

The backgreen meetings will give the folk who live here to join us and their neighbours to chat and decide on how the money should be spent, not just in the backgreen but across the area.”

The backgreen meetings will take place on Sunday at 11am (West Pilton Gardens/Avenue) and 1pm ( West Pilton Avenue/Ferry Road Avenue).

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There will be an update on the proposed local environmental improvements at next week’s Community Council meeting. Also on the agenda is the new bin collection and recycling arrangements.

The cleanliness of local streets and green spaces and problems with fly tipping remains a concern for local residents and council officers will attend the meeting to explain how the new arrangements will work.

The meeting will be held in West Pilton Neighbourhood Centre on Tuesday at 7pm. All welcome.

New Year waste collections

Most households in Edinburgh will have their rubbish and recycling collected as normal this week: other than New Year’s Day, collections will not change for residents across the city. 

Rubbish and recycling will not be picked up on Thursday 1st January (New Year’s Day) only.  

For those who would usually have a collection on Thursday, it will be rearranged from Thursday 1st January to Saturday 3 January.

Normal service will resume on 2 January.

Residents can arrange a special uplift for bulky items online or by phoning 0131 529 3030. Collection of re-usable furniture and white goods can be arranged by contacting the national re-use phone line on 0800 0665 820.

Christmas tree recycling

Those who receive a garden waste service can recycle real Christmas trees after Christmas Day by placing it at the kerbside next to their brown bin by 6am on their garden waste pick up day. Bases should be removed and trees over 6ft tall should be cut it in half.

Residents living in a communal bin area can leave their trees beside their nearest shared bin on one of the dates below. These will be picked up and turned into compost for use in parks and gardens.

City Centre and Leith – Monday 5th, 12th, 19th January
North – Tuesday 6th, 11th, 20th January
East – Wednesday 7th, 14th, 21st January
South – Thursday 8th, 15th, 22nd January
South West – Friday 9th, 16th, 23rd January
West – Saturday 10th, 17th, 24th January
Christmas trees can also be taken to any of the city’s Community Recycling Centres. These will be open every day except 1st and 2nd January.

Residents are being reminded that a range of materials can be recycled, including wrapping paper, glass bottles and food waste. Check the Council’s rubbish and recycling pages to find out what goes into which bin.

2015 calendars

There will be no changes to collections in 2015. New bin calendars will be available on the Council’s bin collection day page at the end of December. Copies can also be ordered by contacting the Council on 0131 529 3030.

Find out more about rubbish and recycling in Edinburgh on the Council’s website.

Clearing up confusion over waste collection?

Following yesterday’s ‘stink’ about refuse collections in North Edinburgh Pippa Milne (pictured below), the city council’s Waste Services manager, explains what’s been done – and what’s being done – to make the new waste collection service work efficiently:

 

“Recycling Advisors door knocked 2,375 properties on 13 August to advise residents of the change to Managed Weekly Collections and offer recycling advice. Further engagement was carried out within the first two weeks after 10 September following reports of excess waste being presented and bins out for collection on the wrong day – we also cleared  the excess.

“The following day the Recycling Advisors visited the area to advise residents of the correct presentation days, offered collection day calendars, further recycling advice, took orders for additional recycling boxes and extended an  offer of general support. There were 111 requests for additional or replacement boxes and the additional recycling box requests are all complete. 

“The residents have had access to recycling facilities – both kerbside and on-street – for a number of years and we have also conducted satellite deliveries of boxes where all the  properties were delivered a leaflet informing of a location and time to pick up boxes.”

Are you still experiencing bin collection problems? Are you now recycling more?

Let us know!