Can churches in Scotland get free recycling bins from the council?

This is a question that we get asked a lot. Some local authorities will provide recycling bins for churches and some won't. In Edinburgh they do and this is the City of Edinburgh Council's guidance note:

GUIDANCE NOTE
REMOVAL OF WASTE FROM PLACES OF RELIGIOUS WORSHIP
CHURCHES

By virtue of the Controlled Waste Regulations 1992 waste arising from premises exempted from section 22(f) of the Valuation and Rating (Scotland) Act 1956(g) (churches etc) is to be treated as household waste.
In plain language this means that waste emanating from Churches and places of religious worship including their associated halls and residencies is household waste.

Schedule 2 of the 1992 Regulations further refine the definitions and identify certain household waste for which a charge may be made.

For the avoidance of doubt waste from Churches and other places of religious worship fall outwith the definitions in Schedule 2.

In consequence there no authority to charge Churches for the removal of the waste that they produce.
This will include items booked as a special uplift.
No charges should be applied for the removal of waste from Churches.

The only exception to this are churches in streets too narrow for the recycling lorry or with pavements too narrow to take the boxes and allow pedestrians to pass safely.

As the same law applies across Scotland, any church having problems getting a recycling bin should contact their local authority waste management department and make them aware of the rules.