Letter to the Editor – more on New Town rubbish

The proposed introduction of bin hubs every 100 metres or so on New Town Streets which will replace the use of gull proof bags and recycling bins continues to occupy readers’ thoughts.

Currently New Town and Broughton Community Council are running a campaign to oppose the introduction of the bin hubs.

We published a Letter to the Editor about this penned by Simon Price and today’s letter is a response to that.

Dear Madam,

I totally agree with Simon Price that the proposed New Town Bin Hubs  have been ill thought out.

When we moved into the New Town 20 years ago the plastic bags of household waste were just hung on the railings on a Thursday night or Friday morning.

What happened was that the seagulls soon learned where to find a meal and ripped the bags appart and thereafter the squirrels from the gardens dragged the  remnants across our streets. 

The brilliant idea to introduce gull proof bags solved these problems and we no longer have seagulls and other wildlife around our waste seeking a meal and  attacking our household waste. It works and has worked for many years so why try and change it?

The use of Bin Hubs has been, and continues to become, an eyesore. Firstly, seagulls and other animals can stand on top and pull out food waste  and then spread it over our streets. The communal bins on streets without gullproof bags actually attract dumping of rubbish and large items like mattresses and furniture which get dumped beside them.

I have witnessed cars drawing up and offloading large amounts of bags and items inside and beside communal  bins. They never do that with our household gull proof bags. Another point is that each householder stores and cleans their gull proof bags, at least I do, and who will clean the insides of large bins and under them and around them and sanitise them?

On a hot summer day they will become  smelly and attract rats etc. 

Simon has made the point about Bin Hubs being unattractive as they are there every day, all day, whilst Gull proof bags are only out one day a week at the most.

Many years ago I learned that if it works do not change it, and gull proof bags is a perfectly efficient and hygenic way for household waste to be collected in historic New Town of beautiful Edinburgh, and has worked for many years now.

Yours etc.,
Dr Derek Shepherd EH3