Communal bin review

The Old and New Towns of Edinburgh were declared a World Heritage Site (WHS) by UNESCO in 1995. They stated these parts of the city ‘represent a remarkable blend of two urban phenomena: organic medieval growth and 18th and 19th century town planning’. 

At the Transport and Environment Committee in November 2023, proposals for improving the waste and recycling service within the WHS were approved. The WHS was split into Phase 5 (Old Town and George Street corridor) and Phase 6 (New Town, West End, part of Stockbridge and the remaining areas within the WHS). Phase 5 was completed in late 2025.

Why the waste and recycling services need to change

We have ambitious targets to become carbon neutral by 2030 and to meet these we need to ensure our recycling rates and quality of recycling are improved. We want every resident in Edinburgh to have equal opportunities to recycle their waste whether they use communal bins or gull proof sacks. These services need to change because they currently do not provide enough capacity for recycling. This leads to misuse of and issues with communal bins such as overflowing bins and increased litter.

Background information

Work has taken place since 2021 to plan improvement in this area and some of the details and documents are included below.

• we have worked with Edinburgh World Heritage and Historic Environment Scotland to ensure waste and recycling services do not undermine the character of the WHS
• public information sessions took place in November 2021 in several locations across the Old Town and New Town, with information about current and proposed services for waste
• the outcome of environmental impact assessment screening application is available
• independent research into potential alternative recycling options was published and submitted to committee as part of the update to Transport and Environment committee in November 2023
• a trial of green gull proof sacks for recycling has taken place since October 2022 in a small number of streets in the New Town. This has been successful and has been used to inform future plans for streets with the gull proof sack service

Bin hub design for the World Heritage Site

We have engaged with various heritage bodies and have agreed the following changes to reduce the visual impact of bin hubs in the World Heritage Site:

• the standard metal bars at each end of the bin hub are usually chrome but we have sourced and purchased a bespoke black metal design for these bin hubs.
• a dark green lid will be used for the mixed recycling bins.
• the standard glass recycling bin lid is purple but within the WHS the lid will be mostly black apart from a purple flap.

Phase 6 - New Town and West End

Initial proposals and consultation

Information on the approach for Phase 6 was included in the November 2024 update report  Working closely with Neighbourhood Environmental Services and colleagues in Operations we identified the most suitable option for collecting waste and recycling on a street-by-street basis.

At the start of the consultation period, which was open February 21 – April 4, we wrote to around 9,000 properties. The consultation included an online survey which received 1,700 responses. Six public information sessions for residents were also held. The consultation outcomes and final service recommendations for each street were reported to June Transport and Environment Committee.

Bin hub proposals – August 2025

We have updated our plans for bin hub locations based on consultation responses from earlier in the year. The full plans are available at the link below

Phase 6 bin hub plans - August 2025

Letters were sent to affected residents and we invited comments to be submitted during August.

Additional consultation streets

As agreed at June Transport and Environment Committee, the following 8 streets have had further consultation on their waste and recycling service: Carlton Terrace Mews, Regent Terrace Mews, Royal Terrace Mews, Drumsheugh Gardens, Eglinton Crescent, Lennox Street, Lennox Street Lane and Royal Circus (North).

Letters were sent to affected residents asking them to submit their preference of waste service. We will be back in touch with residents in February 2026 with an update.

Next steps

The final plans will be confirmed at the January 2026 Transport and Environment Committee. We will be back in touch with residents where necessary. Otherwise, the updated plans and services for each street will be added to this webpage.

We will then begin the process of arranging a Traffic Regulation Order for these works.

Gull proof sacks

For properties retaining their existing gull proof sack service, we are in the process of buying more sacks and expect to be in touch with residents in early 2026.

Bin hub design

In June 2025, Transport and Environment Committee approved a non-standard bin hub design for use and we are currently assessing the impact of this design.

Further information

If you have any questions or require further information about any specific planned works, you can contact the project team.