Scouts get their hands dirty at Water of Leith clean-up

SCOUTS are to wash rubbish collected in a clean-up of the Water of Leith – to see how much of the junk can be ­recycled.

Last year, enough rubbish to fill two-and-a-half double-decker buses was pulled from the urban waterway.

As well as shopping trolleys, bikes, traffic cones, and old tyres, items recovered included cupboards, beds, children’s scooters, false teeth, and a pair of Nordic skis.

Every year, The Water of Leith Conservation Trust’s 
volunteer team and community groups carry out more than 50 clean-ups along the city stretch of the river between Balerno and Leith.

Charlotte Neary, community and volunteers officer at the trust, said: “It will be extremely interesting to find out 
how much litter pulled out 
of the river can be recycled rather than going straight to landfill.”

More than 30 volunteers from the 100th Pentland Scouts will wash and recycle the litter on Sunday.