Edinburgh bin hubs: Residents campaigning for bins to be relocated dismayed at lack of action
Edinburgh residents campaigning against bin hubs right outside their homes say the misery goes on despite council promises of action.
Nursing professor June Andrews, who lives near The Meadows, has been pressing for the collection of bins outside her flat to be relocated across the street, next to rough ground, where nobody would object.
But so far nothing has happened, despite an assurance from the council that the hub had been included on the priority list for review.
Professor Andrews said she had been reporting problems with the bin hub since January 2024. "It has caused countless problems for people living here," she said. "It was so bad that the only family with a baby here moved away.
"It smells terrible, like the inside of an abandoned fridge in a house that’s being cleared after someone died. Even though today's temperature is very low. As a clinical specialist, I know what that smells like and I don’t appreciate it four feet away from my front window.
"The reason I was given by the council for choosing my side of the road was to save us the danger of walking over the road rubbish. My neighbours and I are more in danger of vermin-carried disease than a road traffic accident."
And she said even if the council agreed to move the bin hub, there would be another long wait because it would have to go through the procedure for a Traffic Regulation Order (TRO).
A deputation from South Meadows Action Group (SMAG) will appear at the transport and environment committee on Thursday, claiming the council has failed to implement its "updated review framework" published in November 2024, which revised the criteria for the siting of bins and required the council to work with residents.
A written submission from SMAG says: "In June 2025, a list of priority locations - representing the most irrationally sited bin hubs causing the most egregious harm - was compiled with the active involvement of our group. At that time, Waste Officers assured residents that these cases would be reviewed as a matter of urgency.
"The reality since then, some seven months on, is stark. There has been no action. There has been no communication. There has been no accountability. Attempts by residents to engage with the council have been ignored.
"Meanwhile, the consequences of these inappropriate bin placements continue to be imposed on communities. Fly-tipping, overflowing bins, obstruction of access, noise, odour and visual impact are routine. Homes have been devalued and blighted - sometimes impossible to sell. The impact on residents’ mental health, wellbeing and quality of life has been profound and entirely avoidable."
And it continues: “The council’s sustained inaction sends a clear message: that it is either unwilling or unable to implement its own revised policy, and that the wellbeing of affected residents is neither of interest nor a matter of urgency.”
The group then calls on the council to “provide a full and honest explanation” of why the revised policy has not been implemented after more than a year; reafffirm the principle that bin hubs should be located where the impacts of noise and odours and on privacy and outlook for residents are minimised; and provide a clear timeline for a review of bin hubs locations.
A report to the transport and environment committee says: “Committee first approved changes to bin hub siting criteria in May 2023 leading to a review of bin hubs. The TRO required to make these changes is progressing through the legal process with a report due for discussion at TRO Sub Committee in March 2026.”