More than 2million people across England will have to wait an extra week to have their bins emptied after Labour dropped a pledge to maintain fortnightly collections.
A vast swathe of the country is switching to having non-recyclable waste picked up every three weeks, analysis by the Daily Mail has found, despite warnings of increased fly-tipping and and more rat infestations.
The move comes in spite of many of the local authorities concerned increasing council tax bills by the maximum amount this year - and in the face of opposition from as many as 84 per cent of residents.
Among the areas grappling with having to wait longer to have refuse picked up are parts of Hertfordshire, where residents yesterday branded the new system 'chaotic' and said they 'cannot cope'.
Under what some councils are branding the '1-2-3' system, food waste is collected once a week, recyclables once a fortnight and 'residual' waste every three weeks.
The last Conservative government had pledged to make sure that black bag waste is collected at least every other week from homes across England.
But in December 2024 the rule was quietly scrapped by Sir Keir Starmer's ministers.
As a result, since June, more than 500,000 people in Somerset and Hertfordshire have had to adapt to waiting three weeks for non-recyclables to be collected.
Sue Piper, 77, branded the new refuse system in Bishop's Stortford as 'chaos' - she now has four different wheelie bins plus a food waste caddy, all of which need to be put out on different days, with non-recyclable waste only collected once every three weeks
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Wheelie bins appear to be taking over Bishop's Stortford in East Hertfordshire - one of the towns in a swathe of England with a population of 2.3million which is losing fortnightly collections
In some cases they now have to find room for four wheelie bins to satisfy rules on separating different types of waste.
Over the next nine months, a further 1.8million people will also lose fortnightly collections after authorities in Berkshire, Essex, Sussex, Suffolk, Cheshire and Lancashire all decided to make them wait another week.
In some cases, local opposition has been fierce - in Cheshire East, 84 per cent of residents who responded to a consultation said they were opposed to the idea.
But faced with needing to save over £90million, the Labour/independent controlled local authority - which this year increased council tax bills by the maximum 4.99 per cent - went ahead anyway, saying it had 'no choice'.
By next June, an extra 2.3million people across England will be having their bins emptied every three weeks - with other authorities considering following suit.
In response, Shadow Local Government Minister David Simmonds said: 'Labour are letting local residents down across the country.
'Bin collections are an absolutely basic service that everyone should be able to rely on.
'We worked to ensure regular bin collections when we were in government - but Labour are going in the opposite direction.
Overflowing wheelie bins in Bishop's Stortford where residents now have had to find space for as many as four per household - and wait three weeks non-recyclable waste to be collected
By next June, an extra 2.3million people across England will be having their bins emptied every three weeks, despite warnings of increased fly-tipping and and rat infestations (file image)
Brits face waiting weeks to have bins emptied as Labour abandons fortnightly collection plans
'They're letting the rubbish pile high while council tax soars, and millions of ordinary people will pay the price.'
Earlier this year research by the TaxPayers' Alliance found that one in ten UK councils were considering a cut in waste collection services.
Responding to the Daily Mail's analysis, its investigations campaign manager, Joanna Marchong, said: 'Millions of households are now set to see their bins collected less often, yet their council tax bills keep rising.
'Residents will rightly feel short-changed, paying more for less while they grapple with growing mountains of waste.
'Instead of cutting core services, councils should be getting a grip on wasteful spending and focusing on delivering the basics.'
Rishi Sunak's government was planning statutory guidance that would require councils to 'provide a minimum standard of a fortnightly collection for residual waste' in order to 'avoid malodour and attracting vermin'.
But the rule was not introduced before the election, and new guidance from the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (Defra) simply states that 'waste collection authorities should continue to decide collection frequency and methodology for collecting the residual (non-recyclable waste)'.
It makes no reference to fortnightly collections, although it adds: 'Waste collection authorities should continue to monitor any changes to collection frequencies to make sure there are no unintended consequences.'
The majority of town halls in Labour-run Wales already collect black sacks less than fortnightly, and critics warn more English authorities are set to follow suit.
Earlier this year Bristol City Council, which is led by the Green Party, proposed emptying black bins every four weeks, only to back down in the face of a backlash.
Amy Allen, North Herts Council's executive member for environment, insisted last month's changes had received 'a really positive response'.
'Many residents have told us they're pleasantly surprised at how much more space this has freed up in their general waste bin, which gives them confidence about managing with a three-weekly collection,' she added.
South Gloucestershire Council said half its households did not fill their refuse bin every fortnight and the changes would 'help save money, cut carbon emissions from collections and encourage residents to recycle more'.
Paul Hart, cabinet member with responsibility for environmental services at Lancaster City Council, said weekly food waste collections would leave 'more capacity in grey bins to accommodate three-weekly waste collections'.
Mid Suffolk District Council said the changes would be 'better for the environment, and ensure we meet new government legislation' but that larger households or those with medical needs would receive 'case-by-case support'.
Braintree District Council said nearly 40 per cent of rubbish thrown in residual waste bins could be recycled, while just a third of discarded food is going in caddies.
Its deputy leader said: 'We know change on this scale will be a challenge, but we also know that most of us would like to see as much recycled as possible.'
A Defra spokeswoman said: 'This Government will end the postcode lottery of bin collections.
'From March next year, every household in England will receive weekly food waste collections and will have the same materials collected for recycling, ending the throw away society and cleaning up our streets for good.'
Councils will be required to continue providing a 'reasonable' refuse provision which meets local needs, according to the department.
Case study - Bishop's Stortford, Hertfordshire
Some families in the upmarket town are furious about a new system imposed last month under which they have up to four wheelie bins - and must wait three weeks non-recyclable waste to be collected.
Each home in Bishop's Stortford has a 180-litre purple-lidded bin for 'residual' black bag waste.
They also have a black-lidded bins for mixed recycling, including plastic bags and wrapping, and a blue-lidded bin for cardboard and paper.
These bins are collected on a three-weekly rotating basis.
A fourth brown-lidded wheelie bin for £59-a-year is available for garden waste, emptied fortnightly.
And, on top, they have a new 23-litre brown outdoor food waste caddy, emptied weekly, plus a five-litre kitchen food waste caddy.
But the situation has caused 'mayhem', with some residents not getting the bins on time, some claiming collections were missed and allegations that some locals have been stealing other residents' bins as well.
The new three-week wait has caused issues with flies, extra rubbish, and, according to some makes the area look 'hideous' with 'bins everywhere'.
Jessica Parker, 29, who has a daughter aged 18 months, said the situation had caused her 'stress'.
Jessica Parker, 29, said swarms of flies attracted to overflowing bins since Bishop's Stortford dropped fortnightly refuse collections last month mean her 18-month-old daughter can't play outside
Retired occupational therapist Sue Piper, 77, has resorted to a colour-coded system on her calendar to keep track of when her four different wheelie bins and one food caddy are emptied
The healthcare assistant said: 'It used to be lovely.
'Now we have to wait three weeks for collections - it means our bins fill up and flies come everywhere.
'Our daughter can't play outside. It's terrible.
'It feels like the council are just trying to profit somehow.'
Peter Redwood, 67, said the situation was a 'disgrace'.
The retired builder said: 'I think it's madness. Some people with little space outside can't fit them everywhere.
'The town is just full of bins. It looks terrible.
'What's the point? I'd love to know how much money they spent on it all.'
David Martin, 89, said the new rolling waste collection system in East Hertfordshire should make life 'simpler' for residents
Retired occupational therapist Sue Piper, 77, who has lived in the area for 50 years, said: 'It's been chaos.
'The rollout hasn't worked. Some people have had more bins than they needed, others have gone without.
'There was absolutely nothing wrong with the old system.'
The pensioner has devised a colour-coded system on her calendar, using four different pens to indicate which bin needs to be put out when.
'I've got dots on the dates all over the place and I've lost control,' she added.
'It used to be every other week.
'It's all so pointless. It makes no sense.'
Retired surveyor David Martin, 89, welcomed the scheme, saying: 'I believe it's made things simpler.
'Now it's all in place, it should be easier.'
But his wife, Joyce, 90, disagreed, saying: 'I'm confused about the whole thing.
'It's difficult to remember which goes when and where.'