The strike action has been suspended following constructive discussions between the Scottish Government, COSLA and the Trade Unions. 

I find this situation really frustrating. It is great that this action has been suspended, but huge damage to Edinburgh’s international reputation could have been avoided if the SNP/Green Government had tabled this “fair pay deal” offer 3 weeks ago. We have known from the start that only the Scottish Government had the cash available to end this crisis.

Below is the latest briefing on the recovery from the strike – many thanks to everyone who provided feedback on this issue! Like many people in my Ward, I am very happy that my grey bin will be getting collected next week! 

Generally, the recovery is going well but backlogs remain regarding communal bins and litter bins outside the city centre.

Council Briefing

Trade Unions have suspended planned strike action from 6 – 14 September while their members vote on whether or not to accept the most recent national pay offer.

We have updated our recovery plan to take account of this and are now advising the following.

Kerbside collections

1. Kerbside collections will run according to their normal schedules next week, except for garden waste and blue box glass collections, which remain suspended but will recommence from 13 September.
2. Residents should put their bins out for collection by 6am on their normal collection day. If their bin is not collected on its scheduled day, they should leave it out and we’ll get to it as soon as we can.
3. Gull proof sack and red box collections will also be collected on their usual days and should be put out by 6am.
4. Extra waste will be collected and should be bagged and left neatly beside the bin. If possible, put extra mixed recycling in a clear bag.

The suspension of garden waste and blue box glass collections will allow us to divert resources to cleansing and waste collections. We apologise for any inconvenience this causes and will be in touch with garden waste customers with details of how we’ll compensate for any missed collections caused by strike action.

Communal collections
We will continue to collect excess waste and residents are being advised to bag it and place it beside the bin. If possible, they should put mixed recycling in a clear bag.

Large bulky items, like furniture and mattresses, should not be left beside bins. We are advising people to book an appointment to take these to a recycling centre.

Street cleaning
Our street cleaning teams have made good progress in the city centre, as well as working with waste collection teams to clear excess waste. They will continue to focus their work in town centres, areas with high footfall and high-density areas

Additional information
There may be some delays to collections, and it may take a while to get back to normal.

We’re collecting recycling and non-recyclable waste bins separately. Unfortunately, in some cases recycling bins will have too much non-recyclable waste in them. This means we will not be able to recycle the contents of those. We will recycle as much as we can.

This information will be shared with media, on social media and with our partners. I would appreciate it if you’re able to share the guidance with your residents and networks.

You can find full details of bin collection days, the recovery plan and advice on dealing with waste on the Council website.