UK councils move to three-weekly waste collections affecting millions

Millions of households across the UK face the end of fortnightly collections for nonrecyclable household waste as a growing number of local councils move to threeweekly bin pickups, data compiled from a survey of waste services shows. At least ten councils have announced plans to switch from two-weekly to three-weekly general waste collections in the coming months, with Blackpool and Lancaster scheduled to change from April 2026 and West Berkshire already having adopted the three-week schedule this year.

The survey of publicly declared policies across 362 waste-collecting local authorities found that 34 councils currently operate three-weekly collections and a further ten are set to adopt the system by mid-2026, meaning more than 40 authorities will be using the reduced service by the end of next year. The changes are expected to affect around 2 million people, the survey estimates.

Councils cite two main drivers for the shift. One is the government's Simpler Recycling legislation, published last year, which requires local authorities in England to meet tighter recycling standards by March 2027 and standardise how households separate waste. The legislation did not include a...