Briefing below. 

GARDEN WASTE REGISTRATION

What’s happening?

• The next registration window for the garden waste service opens on Monday 4 February at 10am and will be open until 12pm on Tuesday 19
• Residents can sign up to receive fortnightly garden waste collections for £25 per brown bin.
• Residents who sign up in February will be sent a permit 6 – 8 weeks later that will be valid until 6 October 2019.
• Residents will need to renew their permit again in the summer to continue receiving collections after October. If they choose to renew their permit in the summer then it will be valid from October 2019 to October 2020.

 

How to register

• The quickest and easiest way to register is on our website at edinburgh.gov.uk/gardenwaste
  Residents without internet access at home can use the computers in our libraries.
• Residents can also register via phone by calling 0131 608 1100 (option 1, then option 9). Due to high call volumes there may be wait times.
• Residents can also pay by debit/credit card or cash at the following locality offices:
  • North West Office, 8 West Pilton Gardens, EH4 4DP
  • South East Office, 40 Captain’s Road, EH17 8QF
  • South West Office, 10 Westside Plaza, EH14 2ST

 

How does the service work?

• We will empty your brown bin once every two weeks all year round.
• You will need to renew your permit every year before it expires to continue receiving the service.
• The current permits are valid from October 2018 – October 2019.
  • Permits are not prorated for residents who sign up in February.
  • Residents who signed up during one of the later registration windows (ie February 2019) instead of during summer 2018, will still need to pay £25 to receive collections until 6 October.
  • They can renew their permits this summer to continue receiving a 12 month service after 6 October 2019.
• Once a resident has signed up we will send them a new collection calendar and permit sticker 6 – 8 weeks later.
• We will only empty brown bins with valid permit stickers.
• There is no limit to how many garden waste bins a property can have but there will be a charge of £25 per bin.
• Residents can share a bin with their neighbours and they will need to agree on one resident acting as the lead for booking and paying for the service.
• If a resident moves house they can transfer their permit to their new address. They will need to give us six weeks’ notice to update our system and take their brown bin and permit sticker to their new address.
• Terms and conditions are available on our website http://www.edinburgh.gov.uk/gardenwasteterms

 

Does everyone need to pay?

• Residents who receive Council Tax Reduction (formerly called Council Tax Benefit) do not need to pay for the service but they do need to register to receive it. Other exemptions such as single occupancy discount or Garden Aid do not qualify for free garden waste collections.
• A small number of residents in the Colinton area have their garden waste collected by Tiphereth and they also need to register and pay to continue receiving the service.

 

Why we’re charging for garden waste collections

• Our costs are increasing and more people are using our services, whilst our income is reducing. The £25 per year charge was agreed by the Council at a meeting in February 2018. We already have 70,747 brown bins registered across the city, which means we can continue to provide collections to more than 65,000 homes while saving over £1.4m towards essential services for the people of Edinburgh.
• As garden waste collection is not a statutory service and with reducing budgets and increasing costs, we can no longer afford to provide the service for free.
• Over 40% of councils in the UK charge for a garden waste collection and others have stopped the service altogether.
• The £25 charge is lower than many other councils and works out at less than 50p per week.

 

Further information, including the terms and conditions are available on our website www.edinburgh.gov.uk/gardenwaste