Waste crews thanked for one-off weekend collections

The waste services crews who are working an additional two weekends to provide an interim brown bin / garden waste collection have been thanked by East Lothian Councillor

Environment spokesperson, Norman Hampshire, said: “During the current Covid-19 pandemic elected members of all parties have been working closely to advise and support our local communities. Many of us have been contacted by householders concerned with the temporary suspension of the garden waste collection service, but current staffing levels and other difficulties mean that the council’s priorities are to maintain the other waste services including household and food waste and kerbside recycling collections. After exploring various options, we were delighted when crew members offered to work additional hours to provide an interim service over two weekends. I am grateful for the crews’ availability and flexibility for work patterns over this period and I am sure many local residents who receive the garden waste service will join me in thanking them for their actions during these challenging times.”

“I think it is also worth noting that garden waste collection is not a statutory requirement for local authorities – we are not required to offer this service. East Lothian Council is one of a few councils in Scotland that still delivers a regular garden waste collection without any additional supplementary charge. Although sometimes known as the ‘Garden County’ of Scotland it’s also interesting to note that only around 55% of households in East Lothian actually require this particular service.”

“I would also like to take this opportunity to thank council staff across all services who are doing an amazing job to continue providing vital services to our communities.”

  • If your garden waste (Brown) bin was due to be emptied on Mon 20th - Friday 24 April It will be collected on weekend of 2-3 May 
  • Bins due to be collected Mon 27th April - Friday 1 May will be collected weekend of 9-10 May.
  • Please put bins out by 7am on the Saturday and the bins will be uplifted at sometime over the weekend up to 4pm on the Sunday.

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Published: Friday, 24th April 2020