Independent Edinburgh resident task guide • collection dates • street search • communal bins • missed collections • garden • bulky waste
Search your street first, then follow the collection system shown
Edinburgh bin collection information depends on the street and property setup. A house with individual wheelie bins needs different instructions from a tenement using communal bins or a World Heritage property using gull-proof sacks.
This guide shows what to type on the council website, which result to open, how to read the calendar, and which form to use when something goes wrong.
Edinburgh bin collection: do these three things
1. Open the street directory. 2. Type your street name into Keywords and select Search directory. 3. Open the exact result and use the calendar or collection-service information shown.
Independent information guide: BinCollectionGuide.org is not the City of Edinburgh Council. Collection records, reports, payments, requests and bookings must be completed through the official council services linked after each walkthrough.
Action needed now if you want 2026/27 garden waste
The current registration window closes soon. The council says the new service year starts on 3 November 2026.
2pm
What to do after opening the Edinburgh collection website
Type the road or street name
Examples are “Royal Terrace”, “Station View” or the exact street name on your address.
Select Search directory
The council returns matching records instead of asking for a postcode.
Open the exact result
Check Road, Street, Place, Crescent, Terrace and similar suffixes carefully.
Write down every field shown
Do not stop after finding only a weekday. The record may include a calendar code, box day or separate gull-proof sack information.
Open the calendar link on that record
The linked calendar is safer than guessing which recycling and rubbish fortnight applies.
Royal Terrace
The current directory record shows a Friday box collection and separate gull-proof sack information for general waste and dry mixed recycling.
One street can show several services
The useful answer can be more than “Friday”. Read every field in the record before choosing what to put outside.
Cannot use the directory? The council says this directory may not be fully accessible and lists waste@edinburgh.gov.uk for help with the information.
Do not leave the page until you know: exact street record + collection type + calendar code/link or day information.
Your street record gives a calendar code — now read the legend
Official 2026 calendars use a recycling symbol to identify green mixed-recycling collection dates.
The calendar legend identifies grey non-recyclable waste dates separately.
The PDF tells you to use the council collection-day information for the weekly food-waste service.
Useful 2026 example: the current Thu_2 calendar says the green recycling bin and glass box are collected together every two weeks, with grey non-recyclable waste on the alternate dates. Another route, Fri_1A, places its glass box with the grey-bin fortnight. The legend on your own PDF is therefore the final answer.
Save this instead of a screenshot alone: “Thu_2 — green + box together” or the exact combination shown by your own route.
Which collection system does your Edinburgh home use?
You store and present your own green recycling bin, grey rubbish bin, recycling box and food container.
Your street record shows city-centre red/blue box collection information.
You use shared on-street containers rather than presenting an individual wheelie bin.
Your property has reusable outer sacks and address-specific presentation instructions.
Wrong form = wasted time: a full communal bin is not an individual missed wheelie bin, and a sofa beside a communal hub is not an overflowing-bin report. Choose the problem before choosing the form.
What each Edinburgh kerbside container is for
Green recycling bin
- Paper and mail
- Cardboard
- Drink cartons
- Plastic bottles
- Pots, tubs and trays
- Cans and tins
- Foil
- Empty aerosols
Recycling box
- Glass bottles and jars
- Small electrical items
- Household batteries
- Bagged clothing
- Clean sheets and towels
- Paired shoes
Grey food bin
- Cooked food
- Raw food
- Meat and fish
- Bones
- Fruit and vegetables
- Bread, rice and pasta
- Tea and coffee grounds
Grey rubbish bin
- Only non-recyclable household waste
- No side bags
- Do not leave waste on the street
- Keep the lid properly closed
Do not put it in the green mixed-recycling wheelie bin.
Put them inside a clear bag and place the bag on top of the recycling box.
Suitable small electrical items can go on top of or next to the recycling box.
These are excluded from the normal green wheelie-bin recycling list.
Remove the food and put only accepted food into the food container.
Food must be bagged or wrapped: Edinburgh allows a small plastic bag such as a carrier/bread bag, a compostable liner or newspaper. Council guidance currently lists food-caddy liners at participating libraries for £1 per roll.
Unsure about one item? Search the item, not the whole website
Best search style: “mirror”, not “where do I throw away my old broken bathroom mirror in Edinburgh?”
Find a communal bin and report the correct problem
Open the on-street bin map
The map shows communal recycling and non-recyclable bin locations.
Check access type
Open access bins are generally for nearby residents without wheelie bins. Limited access bins belong to private developments.
Nearest bin full?
Use another suitable nearby communal bin if it has capacity.
Do not leave bags beside it
If the appropriate shared bins remain full, store the waste temporarily or submit the communal-bin report.
Use the correct report
The dedicated communal form is for full or overflowing household bins shared between several homes.
Non-recyclable waste
Household items that cannot use another recycling stream.
Mixed recycling
Paper, card, cartons, suitable plastic packaging, cans, tins, foil and aerosols.
Glass recycling
Clean household bottles and jars.
Food recycling
Bagged or wrapped cooked and uncooked food.
Use the next suitable bin nearby where capacity is available.
Use the dedicated full/overflowing communal household-bin report.
Do not select overflowing communal bin. Large dumped items use the fly-tipping/bulky route.
Blocked access can stop the collection vehicle emptying the hub.
Standard bin-hub service pattern: current council planning guidance says non-recyclable and mixed-recycling bins are emptied every two days, food weekly and glass every two weeks. Frequencies remain under review where capacity needs change.
If your street record shows a gull-proof sack day
Your street directory record can show a separate gull-proof sack day.
Do not fill the reusable outer sack with loose waste.
Make sure sharp objects are safely wrapped and cannot protrude.
Use its ties to secure it to something solid such as railings.
The normal gull-proof sack collection runs weekly between 6:30am and 4pm.
Remove it from the street after it has been emptied.
Do not put excess waste in a neighbouring street’s communal bins. Edinburgh specifically warns this causes overflows for residents who use those containers.
2026 service changes: Edinburgh’s Phase 6 communal-bin work includes planned changes to gull-proof sacks in some streets, with rollout expected during October–November 2026. If the council sends your property a new service letter, follow that address-specific instruction over an older routine.
Do this before opening the Edinburgh missed-bin form
Follow the live delay information instead of filing an immediate individual missed-bin report.
The council collection window still runs until 10pm.
It does not meet the normal 6am–10pm kerbside presentation check.
Remove the contamination and present the container on the next collection date.
Overfilled containers can fail the council’s pre-report checks.
The collection vehicle may not have been able to reach the bin safely.
Submit the official missed-bin report and leave the bin available.
Open Delays to rubbish and recycling collections
Check this before opening the report form.
Confirm your own street calendar
Make sure the container was actually scheduled that day.
Confirm it was out from 6am
It must be visible and available to the crew.
Wait until after 10pm
Only then does Edinburgh class the individual kerbside bin as missed.
Submit the report
You do not have to log in to mygovscot/myaccount, but without logging in you will not see the history of your missed-bin requests.
Leave the container out
The council says it will return within two working days for a valid missed collection.
Rubbish beside a wheelie bin is different: Edinburgh says it does not collect bags left beside individual household bins.
Shared communal bin? Use the communal overflowing-bin form instead of this individual kerbside workflow.
Correct order: live delays → exact date → 6am presentation → wait to 10pm → lid/tag/access → report → leave bin out.
What you need ready before opening Edinburgh garden-waste signup
Choose Direct Debit or one-off payment
Direct Debit automatically renews future years while the mandate remains valid.
Sign in to mygov.scot/myaccount
This registration is different from several Edinburgh waste-report forms where account login is optional.
Complete the form before it times out
Have payment/bank information beside you before opening the Direct Debit form.
Save the confirmation email
This confirms successful registration.
Watch for the calendar and permit
The council says the 2026/27 calendar and permit sticker will be posted by Wednesday 28 October 2026.
Attach the new permit clearly
Make sure the valid permit is visible and do not place it over an old permit sticker.
Put the brown bin out before 6am
Keep the permit visible to the collection crew and the lid closed.
First Direct Debit payment
The first payment is taken within seven days of registration. Future annual payments are normally taken on or shortly after 1 August.
Cannot register online?
The council lists 0131 200 2000 option 8 then 1 or 0131 608 1100 option 1. Phone opening is currently 10am–4pm Monday–Thursday and 10am–3pm Friday.
Office / cash payment?
The council says registration cannot be completed at its offices and it does not accept cash or cheques for this signup.
Eligible exemption?
You must still register. Qualifying Council Tax reduction, severe mental impairment discount/exemption and eligible Garden Aid households can receive the service free.
Festive pause: the published 2026/27 standard garden service has no collections from 14 December 2026 to 10 January 2027.
Missed the permit in the post? The council says the 2026/27 permit and calendar should arrive by 28 October 2026. If not, use the Waste contact form rather than buying another permit.
What happens after you request a replacement container?
Open Request or remove bins or recycling boxes
Account login is optional.
Select the actual container
Do not submit several forms for the same missing bin.
Submit once
If you do not log into myaccount you can still submit the request, but you will not see its history there.
Allow around 10 working days
This is the council’s current delivery target, though busy periods can take longer.
Do not submit a duplicate
The council specifically warns that resubmitting can create additional delays.
Delivery location: the new bin or box is normally left at the front of the property or, where possible, in the front garden.
If nobody in the household can put the bins out
The assisted-bin form is not the right form.
You can request a new assisted collection arrangement.
The official form also allows a request on behalf of someone else.
No, but without logging in you will not see the request history in myaccount.
Collection point can change: Edinburgh notes that staff changes may mean assisted bins are emptied at different times or the agreed collection/return position needs to be changed. Keep the containers visible and accessible to staff.
Count the pieces before you open the Edinburgh bulky form
One accepted household item.
Three individual accepted items.
Current ordinary booking maximum.
Separate free route
Other discounts such as single occupancy do not count for this exemption.
Reuse it first if still usable
The council links to Scotland’s Re-use Tool and Edinburgh’s local reuse options before the paid uplift.
Check the item is accepted
Do this before paying.
Count every separate piece
Your payment and five-item limit depend on the final number.
Book the final item list
The crew only removes the items specified in the booking.
Put the items outside by 7am
Place them on the pavement in front of the property on the booked day, not days earlier.
Sunday maintenance: the current booking page says the uplift system is unavailable on Sundays from 4am until 11am.
Not accepted through ordinary bulky uplift: examples include garden waste, rubble/building materials, asbestos, pianos, storage heaters, tyres, safes and commercial waste.
Best order: reuse → accepted-item check → count pieces → calculate charge → book → present only booked items by 7am.
What to do after opening the Edinburgh recycling-centre booking page
Seafield
76 Seafield RoadEdinburgh EH6 7LW
Craigmillar
Old Dalkeith RoadEdinburgh EH16 4TB
Sighthill
Bankhead AvenueEdinburgh EH11 4EA
Choose a recycling centre
Pick Seafield, Craigmillar or Sighthill after checking the site and vehicle restrictions.
Choose an available 30-minute slot
Same-day slots can appear when another resident cancels.
Enter the vehicle registration accurately
Only the booked vehicle is normally admitted. For a hire or car-club vehicle without a known registration, the council gives specific text to enter in that field.
Save the confirmation email
Check the spam folder if the booking email does not appear quickly.
Arrive within your slot
Arrive no later than 10 minutes before the end of the booked 30-minute period. If you arrive early, wait until the slot.
Bring only what you can unload
Site staff are not available to unload the vehicle for you.
Use the normal appointment booking route.
The current booking page includes bicycles in its appointment-only wording.
No appointment is required, but pedestrian access is currently suspended at Craigmillar.
Special vehicle criteria and restricted appointment slots apply.
Edinburgh residents only: the household recycling centres are not for trade or commercial waste. Staff can inspect the load and ask what you are bringing.
Data devices: before bringing a laptop, phone or smart device, remove personal data. The council also advises shredding sensitive paper documents before disposal.
Before travelling: correct centre + accepted material + valid booking where required + correct vehicle + confirmation email.
Five Edinburgh pages to use when you are ready to act
These five links match the ItemList structured data in this article.
Edinburgh bin collection FAQs
How do I find my exact Edinburgh bin collection day?
Open the City of Edinburgh Council recycling and waste collection directory, enter your street name in the Keywords field, select Search directory, open the exact street record and then use the calendar or collection information shown for that record.
When can I report an Edinburgh kerbside bin as missed?
Check current delays first. The bin should have been visible at the kerbside from 6am until 10pm and Edinburgh does not class it as missed until after 10pm. Also check the correct day, closed lid, contamination tag and access before reporting it.
How much is Edinburgh garden waste collection for 2026/27?
The 2026/27 permit costs £45 for one year. Registration is currently open until 2pm on 1 September 2026. The service runs from 3 November 2026 to 31 October 2027 and brown bins are normally collected fortnightly.
What should I do if an Edinburgh communal bin is full?
Use the next available suitable communal bin where possible. Do not leave waste beside a full bin. If communal household bins remain full or overflowing, use Edinburgh Council’s dedicated communal-bin reporting service rather than the individual kerbside missed-bin form.
Do I need to book an Edinburgh household recycling centre?
Edinburgh’s current booking page says appointments are required for cars, bicycles and eligible vans. Pedestrians with small amounts do not need a booking, although pedestrian access is currently suspended at Craigmillar. Only Edinburgh residents can use the centres.