Edinburgh bin collection: City of Edinburgh Council guide and how to report
Checked against City of Edinburgh Council's official waste pages on 1 August 2026. Spotted a change? Tell us on the contact page.
Edinburgh bin not collected? The City of Edinburgh Council defines a missed bin collection as a bin not collected after 10pm on your scheduled collection day. Report within 2 working days at edinburgh.gov.uk. This guide covers missed bin collection Edinburgh rules in full, including how to find your edinburgh bin collection days, what city of edinburgh council bin collection covers and the edinburgh garden waste collection permit system.
Edinburgh bin collection missed rules at a glance
| Who collects | City of Edinburgh Council (city of edinburgh council refuse collection service) |
| How to report | Online at edinburgh.gov.uk/bins-recycling/report-missed-bin |
| When to report | After 10pm on your edinburgh bin collection day |
| Report within | 2 working days of your scheduled collection |
| Bins out from | 6am on collection day. Must remain out until 10pm. |
| Return target | City of Edinburgh Council returns within 2 working days |
| Garden waste | Brown bin collection Edinburgh requires a permit costing £45 per year |
| Delays page | Check edinburgh.gov.uk/bin-collection-days/delays before reporting |
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Edinburgh bin collection days: finding your collection schedule
Before reporting a missed bin collection Edinburgh, check the delays page and confirm your edinburgh bin collection days were correct. Many residents searching for edinburgh bin collection, rubbish collection edinburgh or refuse collection Edinburgh find their collection is listed on the delays page and simply running later than expected.
To find your edinburgh bin collection days and edinburgh council bin collection dates, use the official street directory at edinburgh.gov.uk/bin-collection-days. The City of Edinburgh Council bin checker uses your street name rather than just your postcode because collection rounds can vary street by street, particularly in tenements, new developments and communal bin hub areas.
Edinburgh city council bin collection and edinburgh council bin collection cover the whole City of Edinburgh Council area. Your edinburgh bin days will depend on your specific street and property type. Tenements and flats may use communal bin hubs rather than individual kerbside collections, which have different edinburgh refuse collection days.
Check the Edinburgh delays page first. Before reporting missed bin collection Edinburgh, always check the delays page at edinburgh.gov.uk/bin-collection-days/delays-rubbish-recycling-collections. If your area is listed, leave your bins out and wait. City of Edinburgh Council will collect as soon as possible without needing a separate report.
How to report a missed bin collection in Edinburgh
- Check the Edinburgh delays page first. Go to edinburgh.gov.uk/bin-collection-days/delays before reporting. If your area is listed as delayed, leave bins out and no report is needed.
- Wait until after 10pm on your Edinburgh bin collection day. City of Edinburgh council refuse collection crews work until 10pm. Your bin is not classed as missed until after 10pm.
- Confirm your bin was out from 6am until 10pm. Edinburgh council bin collection requires bins to be at the kerbside from 6am until at least 10pm on collection day. A bin brought in before 10pm may be missed by late-running crews.
- Check the bin was not tagged as contaminated. A tag means the bin was refused not missed. Remove incorrect items and present on your next edinburgh bin collection day.
- Report at edinburgh.gov.uk within 2 working days. Use the green button above. City of Edinburgh Council will return within 2 working days for confirmed genuine misses.
Edinburgh bins explained
| Bin type | What goes in it | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Grey bin (general waste) | Non-recyclable household rubbish. Lid must close. Edinburgh council rubbish collection grey bin emptied fortnightly. | Edinburgh city council rubbish collection grey bin collected fortnightly |
| Green bin (mixed recycling) | Paper, card, plastic bottles, glass bottles and jars, tins and cans. All in one bin. Leave loose, not bagged. | Edinburgh council waste collection recycling collected fortnightly alternating with grey |
| Blue box (glass) | Glass bottles and jars only. Some Edinburgh areas use a separate blue box for glass. | Not all Edinburgh areas have a blue box. Check your edinburgh bin days schedule. |
| Food caddy | All food waste including cooked and uncooked meat, fish, dairy, fruit and vegetables. | Weekly edinburgh waste collections for food waste |
| Brown bin (garden waste) | Grass, leaves, hedge trimmings, plants. Edinburgh garden waste collection requires a paid permit. | Edinburgh council garden waste collection dates permit costs £45 per year. Fortnightly collection. |
Edinburgh garden waste collection permit
Edinburgh council garden waste collection dates and brown bin collection Edinburgh require a paid permit. The edinburgh garden waste collection permit costs £45 per year for the 2025/2026 service year running from November 2025 to November 2026. Your permit sticker must be clearly visible on your brown bin or it will not be emptied. Garden waste edinburgh collection is fortnightly during the active service period with a break from mid-December to mid-January.
To sign up for garden waste Edinburgh or check your brown bin collection Edinburgh dates, visit edinburgh.gov.uk. The edinburgh council garden waste collection dates are separate from your standard edinburgh bin collection days and are shown on the official bin day checker.
Edinburgh bin collection frequently asked questions
- How do I report a missed bin collection in Edinburgh?
- Check the delays page at edinburgh.gov.uk/bin-collection-days/delays first. If not listed, wait until after 10pm then report at edinburgh.gov.uk/bins-recycling/report-missed-bin within 2 working days. City of Edinburgh Council will return within 2 working days for confirmed genuine missed edinburgh bin collections.
- How do I find my Edinburgh bin collection days?
- Use the official street directory at edinburgh.gov.uk/bin-collection-days. Search by street name rather than postcode because edinburgh city bin collection rounds vary street by street, particularly for tenements and communal bin hub properties. It shows your edinburgh bin days, edinburgh refuse collection days and edinburgh council bin collection dates.
- What is the Edinburgh garden waste collection permit?
- The edinburgh garden waste collection permit costs £45 per year and is required for brown bin collection Edinburgh. The edinburgh council garden waste collection dates run fortnightly from November to November with a break in December and January. Your permit sticker must be visible on your brown bin.
- What bins does Edinburgh use?
- City of edinburgh council bin collection uses grey bins for general waste, green bins for all mixed recycling, food caddies for weekly food waste and brown bins for garden waste with a permit. Some areas also have blue glass boxes. Check edinburgh.gov.uk/bin-collection-days to see which containers apply to your property.
- What is city of Edinburgh council bin collection?
- City of edinburgh council bin collection refers to the waste collection service operated by the City of Edinburgh Council covering the whole Edinburgh city area. Edinburgh city council bin collection, council bin collection edinburgh and edinburgh council refuse collection all refer to the same service run by the City of Edinburgh Council.