Monday October 5th 2026
East Lothian Council recycling bin (image courtesy: ELC)
Written by Local Democracy Reporter, Marie Sharp
Annual fees for garden waste collections in East Lothian brought in just under £1million for the council last year.
The council introduced charges to collect garden waste three years ago across the county for the first time.
A new report has revealed that the uptake from residents was double what was originally expected and has remained high with nearly half of all households paying to have the brown bins emptied every two weeks.
The report says when the annual fee, currently at £40, was first introduced in July 2024 officers expected around 12,000 households to take it up but nearly 24,000 signed up.
It said: ” As the service approaches its third year, participation remains consistently around 24,000, generating around £960k in 2026.”
It was reported last week that East Lothian Council has one of the cleanest recycling records in the UK with less than 4 per cent of material contaminated. the report says that the high level of clean material brings in around £250,000 in revenue to the council each year.
The report said the success of recycling, with material sold on to national markets, was down to not just its staff by public support for it.
It said: “This is a clear demonstration of how effective service design,
operational excellence and strong resident participation combine to
deliver both environmental leadership and tangible financial benefits.”
“By maximising the value of recyclable materials and minimising contamination, Waste Services is helping to reduce disposal costs, support the circular economy, and generate income that contributes directly to the sustainability of vital frontline services.”
The local authority has one of the highest number of waste receptacles in the country with a two bins for household waste and garden waste, separate boxes for recycling glass and cardboard , a white bag for plastic and cans and a food caddy.
The report. lodged in the council’s Members Library, said: “Every domestic household in East Lothian receives 17 non-recyclable waste collections and 52 recycling collections each year, with many households also benefiting from a further 24 garden waste collections.
“This amounts to up to 93 collections per property annually. Across East Lothian, this equates to almost 4.4 million individual collections every year, demonstrating the scale, reliability and reach of the service.
“Put simply, Waste Services successfully delivers around 12,000 collections every single day of the year, helping to keep communities clean, support recycling, protect public health and contribute to East Lothian’s environmental ambitions.”
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