In April and May of 2020 ā in the midst of the first great COVID-19 lockdown ā a group of 30 residents and cyclists banded together to remove over 270 bags of litter, dozens of tires, accident debris and fly-tipped furniture. Working together (and yet separately) we cleared over six miles of rubbish all the way from Balerno to beyond Auchinoon Brae, and along the B7031 up to Kirknewton. Decades of neglect were rolled back in just six weeks. We know we can achieve the impossible if we work together.
How the Initiative was Organised
We divided up the road into one-fifth of a mile (about 300m or 1,000 feet) ‘Zones’, and put up zone markers along the road. These served both to organize and coordinate our picking efforts, and also to advertise what we were doing, and how to get involved.

Testimonials & Results
April-May 2020 Bag Counts
Results from the initial clearance project. Bag counts do not include non-bagged rubbish such as car parts, tires, and other fly-tipped and bulky waste.Zone | Direction | Family | Bags | Status | Resident |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
0 | A70 East | Mason/Laing | 3 | Complete | Cyclist/User |
0 | A70 West | Mason/Laing | 3 | Complete | Cyclist/User |
1A | A70 East | Dodsworth | 7 | Complete | Resident |
1A | A70 West | Morrice | 9 | Complete | Resident |
1B | A70 East | Dodsworth | 9 | Complete | Resident |
1B | A70 West | Morrice/Dodsworth | 8 | Complete | Resident |
2A | A70 East | Mason/Laing | 11 | Complete | Cyclist/User |
2A | A70 West | Mason/Laing | 11 | Complete | Cyclist/User |
2B | A70 East | Osborn/Mason/Laing | 10 | Complete | Cyclist/User |
2B | A70 West | Mason/Laing | 9 | Complete | Cyclist/User |
3 | A70 East | Heavisides | 1 | Complete | Resident |
3 | A70 West | Heavisides | 3 | Complete | Resident |
4 | A70 East | Heavisides | 2 | Complete | Resident |
4 | A70 West | Heavisides | 2 | Complete | Resident |
5 | A70 East | Dalgarno | 1 | Complete | Resident |
5 | A70 West | Dalgarno | 2 | Complete | Resident |
7 | A70 East | Dalgarno | 2 | Complete | Resident |
7 | A70 West | Dalgarno | 3 | Complete | Resident |
8 | A70 East | Flynn | 2 | Complete | Cyclist/User |
8 | A70 West | Flynn | 2 | Complete | Cyclist/User |
9 | A70 East | Flynn | 2 | Complete | Cyclist/User |
9 | A70 West | Flynn | 2 | Complete | Cyclist/User |
10 | A70 East | Park | 2 | Complete | Cyclist/User |
10 | A70 West | Park | 6 | Complete | Cyclist/User |
11 | A70 East | Park | 4 | Complete | Cyclist/User |
11 | A70 West | Park | 3 | Complete | Cyclist/User |
12 | A70 East | Ekin/Leithhead | 7 | Complete | Resident |
12 | A70 West | Ekin/Leithhead | 7 | Complete | Resident |
13 | A70 East | Ekin/Leithhead | 22 | Complete | Resident |
13 | A70 West | Ekin/Leithhead | 6 | Complete | Resident |
14 | A70 East | Ekin | 4 | Complete | Resident |
14 | A70 West | Ekin | 3 | Complete | Resident |
15 | A70 East | Ekin | 4 | Complete | Resident |
15 | A70 West | Ekin | 3 | Complete | Resident |
16 | A70 East | Gemmell | 2 | Complete | Cyclist/User |
16 | A70 West | Gemmell | 2 | Complete | Cyclist/User |
17 | A70 East | Gemmell | 2 | Complete | Cyclist/User |
17 | A70 West | Gemmell | 2 | Complete | Cyclist/User |
18 | A70 East | Ekin/Leithhead | 2 | Complete | Resident |
18 | A70 West | Ekin/Leithhead | 2 | Complete | Resident |
19 | A70 East | Osborn | 2 | Complete | Resident |
19 | A70 West | Osborn | 1 | Complete | Resident |
20 | A70 East | Osborn | 4 | Complete | Resident |
20 | A70 West | Osborn | 6 | Complete | Resident |
21 | A70 East | Osborn | 5 | Complete | Resident |
21 | A70 West | Osborn | 7 | Complete | Resident |
22 | A70 East | Osborn | 5 | Complete | Resident |
22 | A70 West | Osborn | 6 | Complete | Resident |
23 | A70 East | Osborn | 6 | Complete | Resident |
23 | A70 West | Osborn | 5 | Complete | Resident |
24 | A70 East | ||||
24 | A70 West | Osborn | 8 | Complete | Resident |
25 | A70 East | ||||
25 | A70 West | ||||
26 | A70 East | Hancock | 5 | Complete | Resident |
26 | A70 West | Hancock | 4 | Complete | Resident |
26A | A70 East | Sally | 2 | Complete | Resident |
26A | A70 West | Sally | 2 | Complete | Resident |
27 | B7031 North | Osborn/Buchan | 14 | Complete | Resident |
27 | B7031 South | Buchan | 3 | Complete | Resident |
28 | B7031 North | Buchan | 2 | Complete | Resident |
28 | B7031 South | Buchan | 2 | Complete | Resident |
29 | B7031 North | Buchan | In Progress | Resident | |
29 | B7031 South | Buchan | In Progress | Resident | |
30 | B7031 North | Buchan | In Progress | Resident | |
30 | B7031 South | Buchan | In Progress | Resident | |
31 | B7031 North | Buchan | In Progress | Resident | |
31 | B7031 South | Buchan | In Progress | Resident | |
32 | B7031 North | In Progress | Resident | ||
32 | B7031 South | In Progress | Resident | ||
33 | B7031 North | In Progress | Resident | ||
33 | B7031 South | In Progress | Resident | ||
270 Bags | 76% Complete |
Our Picture Gallery
Lay-by Near Balerno Leather Sofa Fly Tip Rubbish at Inveroe The Verge Near Balerno Before Clean Up One of Scotlands Favorite Litter Making of the Sign Boards Signs Mark the Zones Every 1,000 feet Heather’s Haul at Zone 7 West Victory Is Ours! at Zone 2A West Cleared Rubbish Waiting for Collection No Room at the Inn for Rubbish Bin Bag Fashion Old Fly-Tip Behind B7031 Lay-By Bags of Uplift Waiting to be Uplifted 13 Tires…and A Partridge In a Pear Tree More Bags Woodlands….Reclaimed Lay-Bys…Reclaimed
Hello City of Edinburgh Bin Men…. Good Bye Rubbish!