Most households in Edinburgh will have their rubbish and recycling collected as normal over the Christmas holidays. Other than Christmas Day and New Year’s Day, collections will not change for residents across the city.
Rubbish and recycling will not be picked up on Thursday 25 December (Christmas Day) and Thursday 1 January (New Year’s Day) only.
For those who would usually have a collection on these days, it will be rearranged from Thursday 25 December to Saturday the 27 December and from Thursday 1 January to Saturday 3 January.
Normal service will resume on 26th December and 2nd 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 5, 12 and 19 January
North – Tuesday 6, 11 and 20 January
East – Wednesday 7, 14 and 21 January
South – Thursday 8, 15 and 22 January
South West – Friday 9, 16 and 23 January
West – Saturday 10, 17 and 24 January
Christmas trees can also be taken to any of the city’s Community Recycling Centres. These will be open every day except on 25 & 26 December and 1 & 2 January.
Residents are being reminded that a range of materials can be recycled over Christmas, in addition to Christmas trees, including wrapping paper, glass bottles and food waste. Check the Council’s rubbish and recycling pages to find out what goes into which bin.
Environment Convener, Councillor Lesley Hinds, said: “It is essential that we keep the city moving, regardless of the time of year, so I am pleased that we are able to continue collecting rubbish and recycling almost as normal over the festive period. This is thanks to the staff who work hard to keep things ticking over during the holidays.
“So much of the rubbish that we generate over Christmas can be recycled – from wrapping paper to empty bottles or leftover food – so I would urge people to make the most of their recycling facilities during this time.
“Households can also easily recycle their real Christmas trees thanks to additional uplifts, allowing them to be composted for use in our parks and making way for a green Christmas.”
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 from today (15 December).
Find out more about rubbish and recycling in Edinburgh on the Council’s website.