Council ready to clean up the city

August 28, 2022 9:12 pm

The City of Edinburgh Council is getting ready for waste and cleansing staff to get back to work after industrial action.

With the scheduled strike due to end at 4.59am on Tuesday, additional resources are being deployed to support street cleansing and communal bin collections, particularly in the city centre and other areas most affected by the strike.

Residents receiving kerbside collections are being asked to put their bins out as normal on their scheduled collection day. Extra waste will be collected during this time,as long as it is bagged and put next to wheelie or communal bins.

Blue box (glass) collections will continue to be suspended to prioritise resources, though Household Waste and Recycling Centres will reopen from Tuesday with extended hours.

Bookings can be made online as normal.

Full details of bin collection days, the recovery plan and advice on dealing with waste can be found on the Council website: www.edinburgh.gov.uk/binstrike.

Council Leader Cammy Day said: “I regret the impact this national crisis has had on our Capital city and am continuing to press the Scottish Government to fund an acceptable settlement. Talks are continuing over the weekend and I’m hopeful we can reach agreement and prevent any further disruption.

“As I’ve said throughout, I fully respect the right of our colleagues to take this action and have their voices heard. As a trade union member myself, I’ve joined the picket lines in support of fair pay for our workforce and will do so again.

“This dispute has brought the value of our waste and cleansing teams – and their right to a fair wage – into sharp focus and I’m delighted they’ll be back out from Tuesday, helping to return our city to its best.While they’ll be working hard to catch up on collections and making every effort to collect litter across the city, it’ll take time for things to return to normal.

“Please bear with them as they do so and, if you can store your extra waste safely for a little longer or are able to book an appointment at a recycling centre, please do so.

“If your bin is not collected on its normal day, please leave it out and it’ll be picked up as soon as possible thereafter.

“I appreciate that this has been an extremely challenging period for us all and I would like to thank our residents, businesses and visitors for their continued patience and understanding.”