Thousands of people have now signed a petition after East Lothian Council decided to decrease the frequency of green bin collections to every three weeks.

On April 1, East Lothian Council started to collect the green bins – used for non-recyclable household waste – once every three weeks instead of fortnightly which saw a backlash from some residents across the county.

The local authority previously said the change reflected the focus on increased recycling – and stressed that a weekly recycling service ( for paper, plastic and glass) would continue to operate throughout the county.

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Now, a petition with more 2,500 signatures online will be heard at the local authority's petitions committee on June 17 at 9.30am.

Many East Lothian locals have expressed their concerns about over flowing bins, the smell of stacked up rubbish and the possibility of attracting vermin due to the new collection timetable.

An East Lothian Courier spokesperson said: “As signatories to the Scottish Government’s Household Waste Charter, we now provide local households with a weekly recycling collection service for a range of materials.

"Waste collected for recycling continues to increase while waste sent for disposal collected from green bins has reduced, with East Lothian’s recycling rate being in the top 10 of all Scottish local authorities. We have now implemented the charter’s recommendation that a maximum capacity of 80 litres per week is provided for non-recyclable waste.

“Recyclable material can be sold on for processing, whereas the process of sending waste that is not recycled is costly. The council expects to see further improvement in recycling levels, with additional recycling containers able to be provided where required. On average, around half of the waste collected from green bins could still be recycled – with 30 per cent of this being food waste.

“In relation to vermin, food waste is the main source of attraction. A weekly food waste collection service is provided."

The petition can be viewed, by clicking here.