Traders face fines for rubbishing city

uNSIgHTLY trade waste bins left littering some of edinburgh’s flagship thoroughfares are to be effectively banned from streets and pavements under new plans by city leaders.

enforcement teams are to fine business owners who leave industrial-sized wheelie bins or refuse sacks on the streets, other than on occasions just before collection.

The Royal Mile, Rose Street and Leith Walk will be the subject of the nine-month trial from January, with edinburgh City Council intending to roll out the scheme across the city.

Lesley Hinds, the city’s environment convenor, said that the city centre and World Heritage Site were being marred by rub- bish strewn on the streets. She said: “We’ve got a real problem in terms of trade waste in edinburgh and we can’t carry on the way we are.

“If you look at the pubs near to the City Chambers, for example, there can be seven bins that sit there 24 hours per day, seven days per week.

“And you only have to go down the High Street, outside the coffee shops, and there are piles of bags sitting out for hours upon end. It’s not acceptable.”

Wardens will be deployed daily to inspect the three streets during the trial. The pilot is based on an initiative in London, where all waste is banned from the streets except for 30 minutes before collection.

In edinburgh, it is expected that bins will be prohibited ex- cept for the hour in which they are uplifted.

Fines are restricted to £50, but Ms Hinds said that teams could hand these out every day, if necessary, until traders comply. Last year, wardens issued 897 fines to businesses for burst bags and for dumping waste in homeowners’ bins, and that fine is likely to rise under the changes.

In addition, traders in some areas will be urged to use the same collection firm to avoid four or five separate lorries disrupting traffic.

Jim Orr, the city’s deputy environment leader, added: “We’re not expecting a conflict with traders. An element of this is culture change and most businesses just need an incentive.”

Councillors will vote on the measures on Tuesday.