Edinburgh households with their own bins have a grey non-recyclable bin, a green mixed recycling bin, a recycling box for glass, small electricals, batteries and textiles, a grey food bin with a kitchen caddy, and an optional brown garden bin that needs a £45 yearly permit. Flats and tenements use communal bins on the street, colour-coded by lid. Kerbside bins go out by 6am and come back in as soon as they are emptied.
Last checked against 8 sources (www.edinburgh.gov.uk).
Service disruption
All three recycling centres (Seafield, Craigmillar and Sighthill) are appointment-only for vehicles, open seven days, and shut on 25 and 26 December 2026 and 1 and 2 January 2027. Pedestrians and cyclists with small loads need no booking, though pedestrian access at Craigmillar is suspended. Vans and trailers get half-hour slots at 11am, 12.30pm and 2.30pm, need photo ID and proof of address, and no vans are allowed at Craigmillar.
This can change quickly. We last checked on ; the council’s own page has the latest.
What goes in each bin
Grey non-recyclable bin · General waste
Bin · Varies by area, so check your address
Yes please
Household waste that cannot be recycled
Plastic bags, wrappers, crisp bags and cling film
Paper towels and greasy parts of pizza boxes
Polystyrene
Light bulbs, glass dishes, broken glass, ceramics and Pyrex
Not in this one
Anything on the green bin's list: paper, card, cartons, plastic bottles, pots, tubs and trays, cans, tins, foil and aerosols
Glass bottles and jars, which go in the recycling box
Food waste, which goes in the grey food bin
Garden waste
Bags or items left beside the bin, which the council says is illegal and will not be collected
Brown wheelie bin for garden waste (permit holders) · Garden waste
Every two weeks
Garden waste
Garden waste is a paid-for service. A brown bin permit costs £45 for one year starting in November, and households that meet the council's exemption criteria get the service free but must still register. Permits are only sold during a registration window; the window for 2026 / 2027 has closed and reopens on 1 December 2026. Direct Debit payers renew automatically. The permit sticker must be visible on the bin or it is not emptied. The 2026 / 2027 service year runs from 3 November 2026 to 31 October 2027, with the brown bin emptied once every two weeks. Collections pause from 14 December 2026 to 10 January 2027, after which the bin is emptied on its next normal day and can hold your Christmas tree.
A bin is not treated as missed until after 10pm on the collection day, provided it was at the kerb from 6am, the lid was shut, it was not tagged for wrong items and access was not blocked. Check the council's bin delays page first, then report online and leave the bin out: the crew returns within two working days. A bin tagged as contaminated is not a missed collection; remove the wrong items and put it out next time. Report after 10pm on the scheduled collection day; the return visit is within two working days.
The council does not publish one collection frequency for the grey and green bins; you look up your street in the bin collection days directory. Food waste is collected every week, and the garden bin every two weeks during the permit year.
The kerbside recycling box does more than glass. Small electricals sit on top of or beside it, household batteries go in a clear bag on top, and clothing, towels, sheets and paired shoes go in a plastic bag. Duvets, pillows and anything bigger than a toaster are not taken.
Food must be bagged or wrapped so it comes out of the bin: a carrier bag, bread bag, compostable liner or newspaper all work. Compostable liners are sold at libraries for £1 a roll. Food goes to the Biogen anaerobic digestion plant at Millerhill, which handles 10,000 tonnes a year and produces gas for the grid and fertiliser.
Only clean plastic bottles, pots, tubs and trays are recycled at the kerb. Bags, wrappers, toys and other plastics go in the grey bin or to a supermarket bag collection; plastic sleeves should be torn off bottles, and pump sprays removed. Expanded polystyrene can be taken to any recycling centre.
Communal bins are sorted by lid colour: green for mixed recycling or packaging, blue for paper, purple for glass, grey for food and black for non-recyclable waste. Recycling must go in loose. Full bins should be reported online, and leaving bags beside them is treated as illegal dumping.
The garden waste service is permit-based and the sign-up window for 2026 / 2027 has closed until 1 December 2026, so a household that did not register by the deadline cannot join mid-year. Permits and calendars for registered households were posted by 28 October 2026. The service year is 3 November 2026 to 31 October 2027 with a pause from 14 December to 10 January.
Bulky uplifts cost £5 for each individual item, with up to five items in a booking, and are free for households receiving Council Tax reduction (not single occupancy or other discounts). Items go on the pavement by 7am on the day and must be liftable by two people; a bed frame, headboard and mattress each count as a separate item. The booking system is offline on Sundays from 4am to 11am.
The council does not collect bags left beside bins, as set out in its waste and cleansing policies, and a missed bin is only accepted as missed after 10pm on the day.
Bin questions in City of Edinburgh
How often are Edinburgh bins collected?
The council's pages do not give a single frequency for the grey and green wheelie bins; search your street in the bin collection days directory to see your days. Food waste is collected every week, and brown garden bins every two weeks for permit holders between 3 November 2026 and 31 October 2027.
How much is garden waste collection in Edinburgh?
£45 for a one-year permit starting in November, with free permits for households that meet the exemption criteria. You can only sign up during a registration window; the next one opens on 1 December 2026. The permit sticker must be visible on the brown bin, which is emptied every two weeks except for a pause from 14 December 2026 to 10 January 2027.
Does Edinburgh collect glass from the kerbside?
Yes. Households with their own bins put glass bottles and jars in the recycling box, which also takes small electricals, bagged batteries and bagged textiles. Flats use the purple-lidded communal glass bins. Broken glass, light bulbs, Pyrex and ceramics go in the non-recyclable bin.
What do I do if my Edinburgh bin was not emptied?
Check the bin delays page, and confirm the bin was out from 6am, the lid was shut and it was not tagged. After 10pm on the collection day you can report it online; leave the bin out and the crew returns within two working days. A contaminated tag means wrong items were inside, so remove them and present the bin next time.
How much is a bulky uplift in Edinburgh?
£5 for each individual item uplifted, with up to five items per uplift, and free if someone in the household receives Council Tax reduction. Items go on the pavement in front of the property by 7am on the day, tied or taped where needed. Garden waste, rubble, pianos, tyres, wheelie bins and items over seven feet long are not taken.
Do I need to book Edinburgh's recycling centres?
Yes if you arrive by car, van or trailer: Seafield, Craigmillar and Sighthill take booked slots only, seven days a week. On foot or by bike with small amounts you can turn up without booking, although pedestrian access at Craigmillar is suspended for now. Vans and trailers are limited to slots at 11am, 12.30pm and 2.30pm and must show photo ID and proof of an Edinburgh address.
Does Edinburgh collect food waste from flats?
Yes. Nearly every household has a weekly food collection, either a grey kerbside food bin or a grey-lidded communal food bin. Food must be bagged in a compostable liner or carrier bag. Kerbside food bins are not supplied to communal-service households, but a free kitchen caddy can be ordered.
BinWeek is paid for by Google ads on guide and council pages. Choose whether Google may store and read information on this device to show and measure ads. Until you choose, and if you reject, nothing is stored for advertising and no ad is shown. Your postcode and address never go to Google. Privacy policy