Year-round waste collection plans

The scheme used to run only nine months of the year

Edinburgh homes receiving the garden waste recycling service are set to benefit from year-round collections for the first time.

Instead of stopping in November as in previous years, garden waste collections will now continue on a monthly basis.

Fortnightly collections will then resume in March for the summer months.

In 2008, city gardeners collected almost 12,000 tonnes of garden waste for recycling.

An extra 10,000 homes are now being added to the service.

Garden waste has previously only been collected for nine months of the year.

Compost made from garden waste is used in Edinburgh's parks and public gardens throughout the year.

Robert Aldridge, Edinburgh City Council environment leader, said: "We are delighted that we have been able to allocate additional resources to extend the council's garden waste collection service.

"For the first time, this will provide residents with a full year-round service, including monthly winter collections."