Enhancing

Our Clean Team have removed over 16,000 bags of waste for recycling, up 24% compared to the same period the previous year.

Enhancing Spend: £195,565 - 27% of Total BID Project Budget

Over 77% of respondents to the Edinburgh Visitor Survey, conducted by STR, agreed that the BID area was cleaner than the rest of the city and 81% found it more welcoming. Our continued investment in enhancing the BID area ensures an attractive year-round destination for all city centre users.

Clean Team Our superb squad continues to deliver an unrivalled additional cleansing service for our levy-payers, above and beyond the statutory responsibility of Edinburgh Council.

From July 2019 to February 2020 the Clean Team removed over 16,000 bags of waste for recycling – an increase of 24% compared to the same period the previous year. They also cleaned over 9,470m2 of gum from our city centre streets. In the same period, the Clean Team’s Rapid Response service helped 314 businesses, responding to the call-outs within an hour.

They have responded to a staggering rise in incidents of graffiti, removing and cleaning over 400 items – an increase of 98% on last year.

The team have removed over 1,200 items of flyposting, an increase of 1.4%, and removed 295 items of environmental and hazardous waste including drugs paraphernalia, a decrease of 40%.

The audit carried out by Mitie of all BID area streets shows a cleanliness score of 93%, based on a nationally recognised rating system.

We are Essential Edinburgh, looking after you and our city centre.

We have continued our award-winning partnership with Changeworks Recycling, benefitting both individual BID businesses and the environment.

St Andrew Square Garden St Andrew Square Garden continues to be a much loved and vibrant city centre space. It is a tranquil and reflective place to spend time as well as being a well-used thoroughfare. To soften the impact of heavy footfall within the Garden we continue to invest in the upkeep and upgrading of this key greenspace.

From July 2019 to February 2020 we have had a number of low-impact events within the Garden including the final farewell weekend of the Oor Wullies BIG Bucket Trail, Armed Forces Day celebrations, Poppy Scotland, and Cut & Paste Live – celebrating 400 years of collage, with the Scottish National Portrait Gallery. Seasonal Decorations Creating an attractive and welcoming city centre is extremely important to encourage repeat local footfall as well as for first impressions of visitors. To create this ambience year-round we have invested in seasonal floral displays in our George Street planters, maintained the trees in Rose Street and ensured St Andrew Square Garden is the jewel in the crown of city centre spaces.

We continue to solely fund the Christmas Light Trees on George Street to ensure a fitting Festive display during this crucial trading period, and following our investment in upgrading the Rose Street canopy lights with state-of-the-art colour changing LEDs, the city centre has year-round enhanced dressing. Changeworks Recycling We have continued our award-winning partnership with Changeworks Recycling, benefitting both individual BID businesses and the environment with 238.25 tonnes of CO2 diverted from landfill.

Between 1st July 2019 and 29th February 2020 they collected a total of 1020 tonnes of waste with a recycling rate of 62%.

A third of all BID area businesses benefit from our favourable ‘BID rate’ and the more businesses that sign up with Changeworks Recycling, the lower costs becomes for all.

If you have not yet switched drop them an email or give them a call and save some money and the environment at the same time!