Edinburgh Residents Urged To Go Green This Christmas

Edinburgh Residents Urged To Go Green This Christmas


Thursday 28th Mar 2024


Edinburgh residents are being urged to 'go green' this Christmas, as arrangements for festive waste and recycling collections are confirmed. 

Green Christmas from getty images

Environment Convener Councillor Lesley Macinnes said: 

"The Capital is working towards an ambitious target of becoming a carbon neutral city by 2030 and we all need to play our part. That's why we're encouraging Edinburgh residents to give the planet a present this Christmas by going green as much as they can. Last Christmas city residents helped us recycle an incredible 5,531 tonnes of waste – that’s about the same weight as 47,000 Santas! - and I know we can do even better this year if we all pull together. 

"Be it by choosing gifts with recyclable or minimal packaging, avoiding glittery cards and wrapping paper that can't be recycled, finding delicious recipes to make the most of leftovers or giving pre-loved items a new home, there are lots of ways we can all tread more lightly while still having a fantastic celebration with family and friends. 

"Details of recycling and bin collections are now available on our festive dates page, plus festive opening hours for our Household Waste Recycling Centres, where people can take any excess waste and recycling in between collections. You can also take your Christmas tree to one of the HWRCs and we've published designated dates for Christmas tree recycling collections so that everyone with real trees can give them a greener future once the festivities are over for another year."  

FESTIVE BIN COLLECTIONS

Letters containing details of festive collection dates have been sent out to households whose usual arrangements are changing, as well as advice on recycling Christmas trees and information on seasonal opening hours for the Council's three Household Waste Recycling Centres. 

With Christmas Day and New Year's Day falling on Wednesdays, residents who usually receive a Wednesday kerbside collection should put their bins out on Saturday 28 December and Saturday 4 January respectively - post-Christmas, bins will be picked up between Saturday 28 and Sunday 29 December, while post-Hogmanay collections will take place between Saturday 4 and Sunday 5 January 2020. 

Meanwhile residents who usually receive collections on Thursdays should leave their bins out as normal on Boxing Day and 2 January and these will be picked up by Friday 27 December and Friday 3 January respectively. 

Small amounts of waste or recycling that can't fit into bins will be accepted on these dates, provided it's placed neatly beside bins. 

CHRISTMAS TREE RECYCLING

Residents can take their tree for recycling at any of our three Household Waste Recycling Centres.

Our teams will also collect Christmas trees for recycling on designated days. Residents are advised to look up their street on our Christmas tree recycling page to find out when, where and how to leave their tree out for collection.

Streets without garden waste collections will have their trees picked up between 7 and 10 January 2020 - trees should be put out on the pavement (without blocking access) by 6am on 7 January and they will be picked up by 10 January.

Christmas trees will be collected in streets that have a garden waste collection between 13 and 31 January 2020. Trees should be cut up, base removed, and put in the brown bin for collection by 6am on the street’s designated collection day.

HOUSEHOLD WASTE RECYCLING CENTRES

Household Waste Recycling Centres opening times over the festive period are: 

 

24 Dec

25 Dec

26 Dec

27 – 30 Dec

31 Dec

1 Jan

2 Jan

3 Jan

Craigmillar

9 - 4

CLOSED

CLOSED

9 – 5

9 - 4

CLOSED

CLOSED

CLOSED

Seafield

9 - 4

CLOSED

10 – 4

9 – 5

9 - 4

CLOSED

10 – 4

10 – 4

Sighthill

9 - 4

CLOSED

10– 4

9 – 5

9 - 4

CLOSED

10– 4

10– 4

SPECIAL UPLIFTS

There will be no special uplifts from Monday 23 December 2019 to Friday 3 January 2020. Normal service will resume on Monday 6 January 2020.          

COLLECTION CALENDARS

Bin collection calendars for 2020 will be available on our website at the end of December. Printed copies will be sent to the home addresses of residents who use our assisted collections service.

COMMUNICATIONS CAMPAIGN

A multi-channel communications campaign is planned to run during December to:

  • advise residents about changes to collections and waste services during the festive period; and how to recycle their Christmas trees; and to:
  • encourage people to ‘go green’ this Christmas by cutting down on the amount of packaging they buy and recycling as much waste as possible.

As part of the campaign a letter will be sent (on 13 December 2019) to 75,000 residents who are due a kerbside collection on Christmas Day/New Year’s Day and Boxing Day/2 January 2020. Letters will also be sent at the same time to residents on the assisted collection service, alongside a copy of their 2020 bin calendar.

Any service delays during the festive period will be communicated via Twitter (@edinhelp and @Edinburgh_CC) and the Council's website.

GO GREEN THIS CHRISTMAS

Did you know?

  • Last Christmas you helped us recycle 5,531 tonnes of waste – that’s about the same weight as 47,000 Santas!
  • The amount of Christmas wrapping paper thrown away in the UK each year could stretch from Edinburgh to the North Pole 100 times. Make sure you recycle yours this year
  • Whilst glittery, foil and metallic wrapping paper and cards add sparkle to your Christmas, they can’t be recycled
  • Recycling one kitchen caddy of food waste can create enough energy to power a TV for five hours and recycling six clean mince pie foil cases saves enough energy to watch an hour of TV
  • We turn all your food recycling into energy and fertiliser
  • Recycling one glass bottle saves enough energy to make 14 slices of toast!

Festive recycling tips

  • Save money and avoid food waste by turning your leftovers into delicious meals. Check out www.lovefoodhatewaste.com for tasty recipes. Any scraps that are leftover can be popped in your food waste bin.
  • If you have any extra cardboard you can’t fit in your recycling bin, make sure it’s bundled up and place it neatly beside it and we’ll recycle it for you.
  • You can use any bag to collect your food waste (biodegradable, paper or plastic bags including bread bags, cereal packets or old shopping bags)
  • Use your leftover wrapping paper to cover school books or to make bunting for your Hogmanay party.
  • We can recycle your Christmas cards and the envelopes they come in – except glittery, foil or metallic ones!
  • Give your plastics and cans a rinse before they go in the bin. They don’t need to be sparkling clean but doing this helps make sure the recycling is high quality and can be properly recycled.
  • If you’re recycling your Christmas tree remember to remove its base, decorations and cut it in half if it’s over 6ft before popping it neatly on the kerbside on its collection day. 

What goes where?

 Green lidded recycling bins

  • Paper – including wrapping paper, envelopes and Christmas cards (no glittery, foil or metallic ones!)
  • Cardboard and drinks cartons
  • Plastic bottles (with lids), pots, tubs and trays – including empty plastic toiletry/household cleaning bottles
  • Tins/cans
  • Empty aerosols
  • Clean tin foil - including mince pie cases!

Blue boxes and purple-lidded communal glass bins

  • Glass bottles and jars
  • Blue boxes only - small electricals (eg hairdryers and toasters) and batteries in a clear plastic bag
  • Blue boxes only: clothing, towels, clean sheets, pairs of shoes, placed inside a plastic bag

 Grey-lidded food recycling bins

  • All your cooked and uncooked food, including meat and bones
  • Tea bags and coffee grounds