Garden waste in Edinburgh: permit, dates and rules
Here's how Edinburgh's garden waste permit works, checked against City of Edinburgh Council pages on 30 October 2026.
- A garden waste permit is £45 for the 2026 to 2027 year
- The year runs 3 November 2026 to 31 October 2027
- Registration is closed and reopens on 1 December 2026
- Brown bin collected every two weeks, with a pause from 14 December 2026 to 10 January 2027
- Soil, turf, plant pots and animal waste are not accepted
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Cost and dates
The council page says permits cost £45 each for one year, starting in November. The 2026 to 2027 service year runs from 3 November 2026 to 31 October 2027. The page says the permit and collection calendar are posted by Wednesday 28 October 2026. It does not say what you pay if you join part way through the year.
How to apply
Registration is currently closed and reopens on 1 December 2026. When it does, you sign in or register through mygovscot or myaccount. People who pay by Direct Debit renew automatically and do not need to register again.
What goes in
Accepted: flowers, plants and weeds, grass cuttings, leaves, hedge clippings, twigs and small branches. Not accepted: animal waste and bedding, plant pots, soil or turf, and any other kind of waste. The bulky uplift does not take garden waste either, but the recycling centres do.
Christmas and trees
There are no garden waste collections from 14 December 2026 to 10 January 2027. Christmas trees are accepted on the first January collection. Trees over seven feet must be cut in half and stripped of branches.
For a big clear-out, use garden waste removal or rubbish removal.