Fury as more than one in ten UK councils could slash frequency of bin collections – will you be affected?

5 February 2025, 08:52 | Updated: 5 February 2025, 08:56

Pile of black bin bags
Around a tenth of councils in the UK are considering reducing their number of bin collections. Picture: Alamy

By Flaminia Luck

Around a tenth of councils in the UK are considering reducing their number of bin collections.

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42 local authorities are looking at monthly services instead of once every two weeks - potentially affecting around eight million people, data from the TaxPayers' Alliance shows.

In addition, over 800,000 could have their weekly recycling service cut to fortnightly or monthly.

The news has sparked frustration as many of us are seeing our council tax bills rise.

Read our full list below to see if your street will be affected.

Bins and rubbish at the side of the road waiting for collection
42 local authorities are looking at monthly services instead of fortnightly. Picture: Alamy

Thirteen councils plan to extend fortnightly residual waste collections to three-weekly.

These include:

  • Babergh Council
  • Caerphilly Council
  • Cheshire East Council
  • Dundee Council
  • East Dunbartonshire Council
  • East Hertfordshire Council
  • East Suffolk Council
  • Flintshire Council
  • Mid Sussex Council,
  • North Hertfordshire Council
  • North Somerset Council
  • North Warwickshire Council
  • Teignbridge Council
Tarporley village cheshire bin collection   picturesque pretty bustling village heart of the Cheshire Quality BINs refuge lorry
Recycling could also be affected. Picture: Alamy

Four councils plan to cut their weekly recycling waste collections to fortnightly.

  • Lewisham Council
  • New Forest
  • Oadby and Wigston Council
  • Sandwell Council

Two councils plan to extend three-weekly recycling collections to four-weekly.

  • North Ayrshire Council
  • Dundee Council

North Hertfordshire Council plans to extend fortnightly recycling waste collections to three-weekly.

Ipswich
Seven councils plan to cut their weekly residual waste collections to fortnightly. Picture: Getty

Seven councils plan to cut their weekly residual waste collections to fortnightly.

These are:

  • Allerdale Council
  • Arun Council
  • Basingstoke & Deane Council
  • Birmingham Council
  • New Forest
  • Oadby and Wigston Council
  • Sandwell Council

Two councils plan to shift from three-weekly to four-weekly residual waste collections.

These include:

  • East Ayrshire Council
  • Carmarthenshire Council

Ten councils are planning changes but proposed changes have not been released yet.

Garbage bins out for collection in Radley Village
More than 8 million people could be affected by the proposed changes . Picture: Getty

'Ever-growing mountains of waste'

Joanna Marchong, investigations campaign manager of the TaxPayers' Alliance, said: “Residents will be left wondering what to do when the bin lorries don’t show up and the rubbish piles high.

“A shocking number of councils are considering cutting collections, which would leave people facing ever-growing mountains of waste.

“Town halls need to stop making a mess of basic services and focus on delivering what taxpayers pay for.”

Shadow minister for local government Kevin Hollinrake said the data proves voters in Labour local authority areas “pay more and get less”.

He described it as another promise "shamelessly broken by this Labour government".

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