The initiative has been trialled by Edinburgh council since March in order to improve the appearance of the city centre, with businesses on Rose Street, Leith Walk and High Street required to present their waste for collection at designated times, rather than in external bins.
Councillors will now meet on Tuesday (October 28) to discuss whether to phase in the policy to all businesses in Edinburgh – beginning with the city centre and expanding outwards to incorporate Leith, Gorgie, Corstorphine, and Portobello.
Pilot scheme
During the pilot scheme, the businesses affected were encouraged to present their waste 15 minutes before their scheduled collection window – but councillors believe a ‘more flexible approach’ will have to be considered on a city-wide scale.
Proposals include the standardisation of waste collection windows, marking of presented waste with businesses’ names and collection times, and the prohibition of waste containers on the street overnight or when the business is unstaffed.
The council indicates that its proposals are backed by existing legislation enshrined in the Roads (Scotland) Act 1984 and the Environmental Protection Act 1990, which gives it the right to control or remove obstructions on public land and to determine the size, number and type of containers placed on public space respectively.
As a result of the pilot scheme, there has been an average 81% drop in the number of bins on the streets in the pilot areas and an increase in access for pedestrians.
However, businesses in Edinburgh are divided over the scheme, with 38% believing it had made a positive difference to the appearance of the area a recent council survey, compared to 40% who did not.
Other concerns included inconvenience to businesses with 49% requesting changes to the collection times, and insufficient storage space within their premises to retain the waste.
The move has also prompted some businesses to increase the number of commercial waste collections they receive, equating to an increase in cost and the volume of heavy vehicles on the roads. The survey identified concerns that private contractors would not be able to meet the increase in collection frequency.
The council relaxed rules for food waste and glass recyclables following pressure from bars and restaurants on Rose Street, as well as guidance from SEPA and Environmental Heath indicating the waste streams must be ‘containerised’. These materials will be tolerated assuming businesses fill them ‘to the minimum capacity’.
Enforcement
The council has promised that the policy will be ‘robustly enforced’ by environmental wardens when rolled out on a citywide basis, but a spokeswoman told letsrecycle.com the move would not involve ‘slapping fines on businesses’.
Environment Convener, councillor Lesley Hinds, said: “It is fantastic to see such positive results from the Trade Waste pilot, which show how effective this approach is and pave the way for its implementation across the city.
“The build-up of trade waste bins on our streets not only has a negative impact on their appearance, but can result in litter and dumping,attracting gulls and other animals, which is unacceptable for the centre of Scotland’s capital.”
In January this year, the Scottish government introduced the Waste (Scotland) Regulations, which requires businesses in Scotland to take all reasonable steps to ensure separate collection of all dry recyclables, while those in urban areas producing over 50kg of food waste must also present it for collection.
Edinburgh is understood to have rolled out its trade waste scheme based on a similar policy introduced by Westminster city council in London, which has successfully reduced the amount of commercial waste left on the streets.
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