Total Rubbish

Leithers must be wondering what they've done to deserve their neighbourhood being turned into a medieval theme park - with impassable roads and unemptied bins everywhere.

It's hard for anyone apart from those involved in the bin dispute to know what the truth of the matter is. Whilst we've been watching a litany of unemptied bins and litter complaints appear on our "Fix My Leith" page, we've been trying to piece together the important information.

First of all - the latest advice from the City of Edinburgh Council for Leith residents is this:

Customers are advised to leave their bins out and we will collect them as soon as possible. This position could change and details will be posted on our website.

Kerbside recycling collections are operating normally. Customers are also reminded that household waste can be taken to Community Recycling Centres, details of which are on www.edinburgh.gov.uk.

Or if you prefer - a video apology from Cllr Aldridge:

If you're a business customer of the Council refuse collection service, then the council seem to be happy to advise you to take your business elsewhere:

There has been a greater disruption to the day-time trade waste service. Customers are advised that if their trade waste is not collected to remove it from the kerbside and represent it on the next scheduled collection day. Trade waste customers can also use other service providers. Trade waste can also be taken to local Community Recycling Centres free of charge.

At least the kerb side recycling collections are not affected, so perhaps the easiest thing to do is to recycle as much of your waste as you possibly can - apart from garden waste, as the council are not priorising these collections.

If you want to find out more about the official council line you can download the whole 'Stakeholders' briefing sent out on the 24th of July here.

You may also be interested to read Cllr Cameron Rose's '5 Key Points'.

The Unions involved seem to be keeping quiet on the issue until a ballot on their members on strike action is completed. However we did find this quote from Union rep Sandy Smart:

'If the council are willing to put money aside to get things sorted then I don't have a problem with that, but at the moment our members stand to lose around half of their wages. I won't believe a word the council say until I see something down in black and white."

The modernisation plans affect all manual council workers. The local authority has proposed the introduction of 12 broad pay grades, which it said would lead to around 20 per cent of staff having reduced pay after a three-year period in which their current salary would be protected.'