Edinburgh · Scotland
Edinburgh began enforcing its Low Emission Zone in June 2024, and the capital’s tenement streets have never been generous with parking. If an older car is coming off the road, this is how recycling it works.
Prefer to talk? Call 0800 058 8087, free from UK landlines and mobiles.
Start with the registration and the postcode where the car is.
The capital is ringed by the A720 City Bypass, which links the A1 from East Lothian, the A702, the M8 towards Glasgow and the roads north to the Queensferry Crossing. Inside that ring the streets are older and narrower than in most British cities, and on-street parking is controlled across much of the central area and inner suburbs.
In Marchmont, Leith, Gorgie and Bruntsfield, tenement flats share a single street and permit bays fill quickly, so a car that has stopped running takes up a space many neighbours want. Further out, Corstorphine, Liberton and Portobello have more driveways and wider roads, which can make a non-runner easier to reach. Wherever the car is, a quick note about access when booking saves time on the day.
The zone covers the city centre, roughly from Queen Street to Melville Drive and from Palmerston Place to Abbeyhill. Penalty charge notices have been issued since 1 June 2024, after a two-year grace period, and the cameras operate around the clock.
The rules follow the national Scottish standard of Euro 4 for petrol and Euro 6 for diesel, with motorcycles and mopeds excluded. A car that falls short can still use the bypass and the suburbs, but not the centre without a penalty. If you live or work inside the zone, that is often when recycling an older car starts to make sense.
All you need is the reg and a postcode, anywhere from EH1 in the Old Town to EH17 in Gilmerton. A licensed Edinburgh buyer sends a figure. Say yes and a licensed carrier uplifts the car without charge; say no and nothing is owed.
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How it works
Four stages take an unwanted car from your drive to a new life as recycled material. Here’s what happens at each one.
Enter the registration and the postcode where the car is parked. The details go to a licensed buyer who covers that area, and they come back with an offer.
Agree the offer and pick a day. The car is collected free of charge from a drive, a street, a car park or a garage, wherever it happens to be.
The car goes to an Authorised Treatment Facility, where fluids, the battery and hazardous parts are removed safely and the paperwork is completed.
Reusable parts are recovered, and the shell is shredded so the steel, aluminium and other materials can be made into something new.
Questions
Straight answers to what people ask before scrapping a car.
Can’t see your question? Read every answer or call 0800 058 8087.
No. Let the buyer know about the parking controls on your street when you agree a time, and the pickup can be timed to suit them.
No. The zone covers the city centre only. If you live close to its edge, the council's map shows the exact boundary.
No. Collection is free wherever the car is in the UK, there are no admin or hidden fees, and turning down an offer costs nothing.
No. Since the Scrap Metal Dealers Act 2013, scrap metal dealers in England and Wales can't pay cash for scrap vehicles. Payment is made by bank transfer or another traceable method.
Get an offer from a licensed local buyer in minutes, with free collection whenever suits you.