Phase 6
World Heritage Site - Why the waste and recycling services need to change
The Old and New Towns of Edinburgh were declared a World Heritage Site (WHS) by UNESCO in 1995. They stated these parts of the city ‘represent a remarkable blend of two urban phenomena: organic medieval growth and 18th and 19th century town planning’.
At the Transport and Environment Committee in November 2023, proposals for improving the waste and recycling service within the WHS were approved. .
We have ambitious targets to become carbon neutral by 2030 and to meet these we need to ensure our recycling rates and quality of recycling are improved. We want every resident in Edinburgh to have equal opportunities to recycle their waste whether they use communal bins or gull proof sacks. These services need to change because they currently do not provide enough capacity for recycling. This leads to misuse of and issues with communal bins such as overflowing bins and increased litter.
Bin hub design for the World Heritage Site
We have engaged with various heritage bodies and have agreed the following changes to reduce the visual impact of bin hubs in the World Heritage Site:
- the standard metal bars at each end of the bin hub are usually chrome but we have sourced and purchased a bespoke black metal design for these bin hubs
- a dark green lid will be used for the mixed recycling bins
- the standard glass recycling bin lid is purple but within the WHS the lid will be mostly black apart from a purple flap
Proposals and consultation timeline
The planning for Phase 6 began following the November 2023 Transport and Environment Committee. A .
Communal bin hubs
July 2026
We have updated our plans for bin hub locations based on feedback from resident associations, Community Councils and Ward Councillors.
. Some of our downloads are not accessible. If you need help, please email waste@edinburgh.gov.uk.
Letters were sent in February 2026 to residents to let them know about these updated plans.
We will commence the process of arranging a Traffic Regulation Order before works to install bin hubs can begin in early 2027. .
Gull proof sacks
We are in the process of buying the required sacks and expect to be in contact with residents soon on how to exchange their red boxes for green sacks.
We had planning sessions in June 2026 with Community Councils to arrange distribution of gull proof sacks and the communications alongside this.
We expect to roll out the new service between October and November 2026 and will be in touch with residents before then.
Further information
If you have any questions or require further information about any specific planned works, you can contact the project team.