Canvas bin bag trials aim to put an end to seagull raids

THEIR antisocial behaviour and reputation as litter louts have made them among the most notorious of city residents.

But after years of defying measures to clip their wings, Edinburgh's seagulls look to have finally met their match – canvas bin bags.

Council chiefs are set to trial the reusable bags as a way of putting an end to the nighttime raids which regularly leave the Capital's streets strewn with rubbish.

The New Town, where fixed on-street bins are banned, will be the first area of the city to introduce the sacks.

A similar scheme is already in operation in Totnes, Devon, where local residents can buy the bags for £4.50.

Councillor David Beckett, who represents the city centre, said: "There's a real problem with domestic waste management in the New Town. People put their bin bags out at nighttime, and in the morning they wake up to find rubbish strewn across the street because the foxes and seagulls have been tearing into it.

"It's a particular problem in Great King Street and Dundas Street, and other areas that don't have space for the large bins that you see in other parts of the city.

"The idea came from Devon, where they have a thick, seagull-proof bin bag. Everyone in the town has been given one, and it's able to hold two regular bin bags, which are placed inside the thick, reusable bag. It's a fairly simple idea which means it doesn't cost the council a lot of money."

Last year, the Scottish Government announced plans to destroy seagulls' nests in an initiative to get "tough on seagulls and tough on the causes of seagulls".

However, despite complaints about growing numbers of rats and seagulls, there were protests when the council attempted to introduce wheelie bins in the New Town five years ago.

Councillor Robert Aldridge, the city's environment leader, said: "The council has a responsibility to ensure that our waste collection arrangements are suitable for whichever residential area.

"Ideally this involves the use of rigid containers to prevent the scattering of waste by vermin and other animals.

"However, as it lies within the World Heritage Site, the New Town has particular heritage issues which make the use of such containers difficult in some locations."

He said plans for a trial of the bags was one part of a review of arrangements currently being carried out within the World Heritage Site.

The council said it had also introduced nighttime bin collections in areas affected by the tram works, which was helping to tackle the problem.

John Knight, a member of New Town and Broughton Community Council, said leaflets put out by his organisation reminding residents to wash out food containers and tin cans had helped reduce the number of foraging seagulls.


Your Say: Could canvas bags solve the problem?

Paula Calder, 52, council worker, Drummond Street "It's certainly a better idea, but it doesn't make up for the real problem, which is not enough bins and too few collections."

Gordon Allan, 40, estate agent, Dalkeith Road "Presumably it's been tested and proven to be vermin-proof so it will probably cut down on the problem, but it won't eradicate it because there are people who will discard their rubbish regardless."

Liz Barron, 51, sales assistant, Bingham Crossway "As long as the council don't make the residents pay for it then it sounds like it could work."