Dog waste bins in mess as council fails to empty

Bins at Carrick Knowe golf club, right, and Restalrig railway path, are among those not emptied

New bins installed in Leith, which residents had initially welcomed, have now become a wasteground – and after pictures of an overflowing bin were posted on Facebook readers were quick to highlight similar problems in Carrick Knowe golf course, Leith Links, Inverleith Park and Kirkliston children’s park.

Bags of dog dirt spilling on to Restalrig Road railway path were snapped by walker Paul Cockburn, who said the bins were not being regularly emptied after new ones were installed earlier this year.

The Leith resident said: “The recent additions are certainly sturdier, but it appears they are not being regularly emptied.

“While the path is a favourite for dog walkers in the area, I doubt their pooches could have generated that amount of black poo bags in just a few days.”

The council has pledged to look at the problem, and insisted collection times had not changed, but said there had been some delays to the service in various parts of the city.

Debbie Carrigan posted on the Evening News Facebook page: “That bin has been like that for over a week.

“There are bags of dog poo lying on the ground but if we don’t bag it and bin it we get a fine. How can you bin it when bins are overflowing?”

Leith Links also came under fire from resident Terri Bowker, who said the bins were spilling over for days on end without being emptied.

Resident Carol Sutherland posted: “The communal bins on Comiston Road are overflowing yet again. Last Hogmanay, with visitors arriving into Edinburgh, the bins were revolting. What a first impression to the city.”

City environment leader Councillor Lesley Hinds pledged to investigate the matter.

She said: “We will look at each of the bin locations to identify what the issue is that’s causing them to overflow, and what action we can take to limit this. We understand that situations like this are unsightly and inconvenient for the public, so it is essential that we focus resources on keeping our streets and parks clean and tidy for everyone.”

Last year, the Evening News launched the Dish the Dirt campaign with Edinburgh City Council to catch pet owners allowing their dogs to foul parks and public spaces.