Tuesday January 6th 2026
Councillor Dianne Alexander gets a demonstration from recycling staff as the first of Midlothian’s new green bins arrive. Pictured left to right: Robert Dickson, Recycling Driver; Andrew Walker, Recycling Team Leader; Lindy Rose, Recycling Collector; Cllr Dianne Alexander; Willie Reid Recycling Operational/Contracts Manager.
Written by Midlothian View Reporter, Liam Eunson
Midlothian Council are making a change to bin collection, now collecting household bins every third week.
The change will see grey and blue bins moving to a three-week collection cycle, alongside a new green bin also being collected every three weeks.
Alongside this collection change, the Midlothian Council is introducing a new green-coloured household recycling bin for paper, card and cardboard from spring 2026.
Collections for the new service start in March, with bins set to be delivered to residents across the county in January and February.
As part of the changes, blue bins currently used for mixed recycling will be exclusively for cans, cartons, plastic bottles, tubs and trays.
The revised arrangements aims to improve the quality of recycling and make collections more efficient by cutting the amount of material coming into contact with food residue – which often cannot then be reused.
Separating paper and card from plastics and cans will also allow further sorting to take place, which means that a greater variety of packaging types can be recycled correctly.
The council explained that this means that an increased volume of waste recovered through household recycling in Midlothian can be sent on for processing, which is more economically and environmentally sustainable for everyone.
With green, grey and blue bins being moved to a three-week collection cycle, glass boxes and, for residents with a garden waste permit, brown bins will continue to be picked up every fortnight.
Food waste caddie collections will continue on a weekly basis. Collection days may also change for some services.
The council have stated that assisted pullout customers will have their green bins delivered directly to their usual storage point, while flats may be provided with alternative solutions and will be notified separately. The council Trade Waste team will also contact businesses to discuss any changes to services.
Letters explaining plans are being sent to residents, and further information will be made available closer to the time via the Midlothian Council website and social media feeds.
Cabinet Secretary for Community Facilities, Climate Change and Environment Councillor Dianne Alexander met waste and recycling staff as Midlothian’s first green bins arrived ahead of their delivery to households.
Explaining the initiative, Cllr Alexander said:
“Everything we recycle helps conserve precious resources and means less energy is needed to make new products from scratch. By keeping paper and card separate and clean, we can recycle more of what we use and reduce carbon emissions.
“We know it’s a change, but if everyone gets behind this, it will make a big contribution to Midlothian’s journey to net zero, helping to assure a cleaner and greener environment for future generations.”
The changes to Midlothian’s waste and recycling services are being supported by a £2.3m grant from the Scottish Government’s Recycling Improvement Fund. The majority of councils across Scotland are moving to a similar collection model in line with the Charter for Household Waste Recycling.
David Gunn, Recycling Improvement Fund Manager at Zero Waste Scotland said:
“Zero Waste Scotland are proud to support local authorities to make improvements to their reuse and recycling services. The Recycling Improvement Fund empowers local authorities to influence lasting behaviour change, helping Scotland progress towards a cleaner, greener and more circular economy.”
The changes were discussed at the full Midlothian Council in December 2023, read the document presented to that meeting HERE.
The new green bins will be delivered between the 12th January and 28th February 2026.
For more information, visit www.midlothian.gov.uk/recycling
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