Recycling - Green bin

Frequently Asked Questions

Your new green bin service

Check your collection dates

My street is missing a grey bin collection
Because of changes to the new recycling collection services, some streets will require one additional grey bin collection. The extra collections are planned for the weekend of Saturday 28 March and Sunday 29 March. If your street is listed please leave it out by 6.30am on Saturday and it will be emptied by the Sunday evening at the latest.

• Check if your street is listed

I don’t have enough space for an additional bin
While we accept there is an inconvenience to storing an additional bin, based on experiences of other councils who have introduced an additional wheeled bin to households, the majority of properties have the space. However, if this is not possible for you, please report it to greenbin@midlothian.gov.uk. A Recycling Education Officer will carry out a site visit and alternative arrangements will be explored where practical.

My grey bin is currently full after two weeks; how will I cope with a three weekly collection cycle?
A study carried out by Zero Waste Scotland shows over half of waste in a residual bin can be recycled. Please make full use of the food caddy, glass recycling box, the blue bin for plastic and cans as well as the new green bin for recycling paper and card. We also offer fortnightly garden waste collections, which is a paid for service.

There are already bins blocking the footpath where I live
We are reviewing all areas where bins are blocking pavements and footpaths, and alternative solutions are being explored.  Residents in affected areas will be contacted to discuss other arrangements where required. If you would like to report your area, please email greenbin@midlothian.gov.uk

Can I request a larger grey bin?
A larger 360 litre bin is available for non-recyclable waste.  You must meet the criteria to be eligible. If you have requested and are eligible for a 360 litre grey bin, we are waiting for a delivery of those. These will be delivered just as soon as we can.

• Read the criteria

For households requesting an additional bin for non-medical waste, you need to complete a waste diary for three weeks.  After we get your three-week waste diary, a Recycling Education Officer will visit your property to carry out an audit of your bins before a decision is made about giving you a larger residual waste bin.

Can I put shredded paper in my green bin?
Shredded paper can be put in the new green bin as long as it is in a paper envelope or cardboard box to avoid windblown litter.

Can I request a smaller blue bin or green bin?
A smaller green bin is not available, however for residents with a larger 360 litre blue bin, a smaller 240 litre blue bin is available on request.

• Request a 240 litre blue bin

Can I request the removal of my new green bin?
Residents can request the removal of the new green bin, however, if the blue bin is contaminated with paper and cardboard, it will not be collected, and residents will need to make alternative arrangements for the disposal of their recycled material.

I live in a flat or house of multiple occupancy and we already have a large number of bins
An audit is currently being carried out of all properties where multiple bins are required.  Alternative arrangements, such as communal bins, are being implemented where appropriate and residents of affected properties will be contacted.

Can I have a larger green bin?
A larger green bin is not available. Please make sure cardboard boxes are flattened before putting them in the green bin to maximise space.

What if my bin is too heavy for me to move after a three-week period?
The council offers an assisted bin collection service for residents who are not able to move their bin to the collection point for their property.  An application for an assisted collection service can be made via the council’s website.

• Request an assisted collection

The lid on my new green bin does not close properly
A small number of bins that have been delivered to residents have lids that do not close properly due to the lids becoming misshapen during the storage and delivery process. The bin lids will move back into shape usually over a two-week period. If your bin lid does not move back into shape and close properly ahead of the new collection service starting in March, please contact greenbin@midlothian.gov.uk and we will arrange for the lid to be replaced by the manufacturer.

Can you explain more fully why you are introducing a three-weekly collection service?

The Scottish Government has brought in new laws requiring councils to meet stricter recycling targets. Councils also need to follow a national code of practice on how recycling services should be designed. Midlothian Council has committed to meeting these standards and received £2.3 million in Zero Waste Scotland (ZWS) funding to update our bin collections, so we continue to follow best practice.

A key part of these improvements is separating the materials currently mixed together in the blue bin. To do this, households are being given new 240 litre green bins for paper and cardboard, while the blue bin will be used only for plastics, cans and cartons. Both recycling bins, along with the residual waste grey bin, are moving to a three weekly collection cycle.

This approach has several benefits:

• It boosts recycling: Collecting paper and card separately keeps them cleaner and makes the material more valuable. Councils can earn income from selling good quality paper and cardboard.
• It cuts costs: Independent modelling shows that separating recycling and moving to three weekly general waste collections reduces treatment costs and requires fewer collection rounds by allowing a greater variety of packaging types to be recycled correctly. This helps keep the service affordable long term.
• It reduces waste going to landfill or energy recovery:  Council areas, for example East Lothian and Moray, with three weekly collections or longer see more recycling and less general waste in the bin. This supports national climate targets and reduces the council’s environmental impact. A study by ZWS found that more than 50% of what goes in your grey bin can be recycled. Midlothian is the 18th of 32 local councils in Scotland that have introduced three weekly collections. Of the 12 local authority areas in Scotland with the highest recycling rates, 11 have separate bins for paper/card and metals/plastics.
• It is funded by ZWS: The upfront cost of providing the new bins is fully covered by national grant funding, meaning the service improvements do not need to use local monies to deliver them.