Brown bin - monthly garden waste collections | Waste and recycling services for households

Brown bin - monthly garden waste collections

Changes from 1 July 2024

From 1 July 2024 the garden waste collection will be fortnightly but will require a pre-paid permit of £35 for a year - read more about this change.

Apply for a garden waste permit through myeastlothian

Find out more about myeastlothian and register online

Using the garden waste collection service

put your grass cuttings, weeds and prunings into your brown bin
make sure you have only put the right items in your brown bin and that it is not too heavy
present your brown bin at the kerbside by 7:00am on your collection day

What goes in the brown bin

Yes	No
grass cuttings hedge clippings leaves twigs and small branches shrub prunings plants, weeds and flowers	plastic bags or liners kitchen waste or food scraps (please put these items in your silver caddy) soil, turf or wood (you can recycle these items at your local Recycling Centre) plant pots or polystyrene stones, bricks or rubble (you can recycle these items at your local Recycling Centre) animal faeces or bedding

Check your collection day

You can check your collection dates online and download your waste and recycling calendar by typing your postcode and selecting your address.

There is a strict limit of one brown bin per household to make sure we can complete our collection routes when there is a lot of garden waste.

My brown bin hasn't been emptied

If you put the wrong items in your brown bin then the collection crew will not empty the container. If the bin is too heavy we will not be able to empty it.

If you presented your bin at the kerbside with the lid closed by 07:00am on the correct collection day and it has not been emptied, please contact us on 01875 824 305 and arrangements will be made for your bin to be emptied as soon as possible.

What happens to the material collected?

All the material collected is delivered to Forth Resource Management's composting facility at East Fenton in East Lothian. The compost is then used for landscaping or sold as a soil improver called Caledonian Green Goodness Compost, more details can be found on their we site.