Edinburgh has been named the cleanest city in Scotland, scoring 92.8 per cent in the latest national cleanliness assessment — the capital’s highest mark in more than five years.
The score, drawn from inspections of streets, parks and public spaces across the city, places Edinburgh comfortably ahead of every other Scottish local authority. Council officials credited a combination of expanded street-cleaning rounds, targeted litter enforcement and a sharp rise in residents reporting fly-tipping through the council’s online tools.
“This is a result the whole city can be proud of,” a council spokesperson said. “Keeping Edinburgh clean is a shared effort between our crews and the people who live here, and these figures show that effort paying off.”
The improvement comes after several years of mixed results, with cleanliness scores dipping during a period of reduced budgets and disruption to collection services. Officials say sustained investment in frontline teams and new monitoring routes has reversed the trend.
Community groups welcomed the news but urged the council not to ease off, pointing to recurring problem spots around the city centre and busy tourist areas during peak season. The council says additional summer cleaning will be in place ahead of the festival period.