Labour dropped the measure in an update released last Friday to the fury of people across the country.
Outrage as Labour quietly U-turns on promise over UK bin collections (Image: Getty)
Labour is under fire again after quietly abandoning a promise to enforce fortnightly bin collections across England, sparking outrage from residents and warnings of worsening hygiene and pest problems.
The plan was initially proposed by the Conservative government and would have required councils to collect black bag waste at least every two weeks to prevent issues like bad odours and vermin.
However, Labour dropped the measure in an update released last Friday when the Parliament was focused on the landmark vote on assisted suicide.
The updated waste collection guidance from the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (Defra) leaves the frequency of bin collections to local councils and omits the previously proposed fortnightly rule.
Instead, it advises councils to monitor changes in collection schedules to avoid “unintended consequences.”
Labour is under fire again after quietly abandoning a promise to enforce fortnightly bin collections (Image: Getty)
This decision has caused outrage online.
One person said: “It’s little things like this, that largely go unnoticed, which will ultimately contribute to Britain becoming a 3rd World s**t hole pretty quickly. Does anyone remember when bins were twice the size collected weekly?”
Another added: “There will be rats!”
A third said that Wales is already seeing the consequences of less frequent collections saying they “have had 3 weekly bin collections in Wales for two years” and adding that “the rat problem has gotten really bad.”
Others called for bigger bins or warned that “it will just be bags everywhere.”
“They want people to have nothing and are working towards that so the bins are a reflection of their goals which they are actively working to achieve,” said another.
Some say that the U-turn could cause a lot of problems. (Image: Getty)
The Conservatives have also warned that Labour’s move could pave the way for bin collections every three weeks or even monthly, as already seen in some Labour-run councils in Wales.
Shadow Defra minister Dr. Neil Hudson accused Labour of sneaking through the change, telling the Daily Mail: “Labour’s quiet U-turn could leave rubbish piling up on the streets over Christmas.”
However, while Labour has faced backlash, some groups welcomed the decision.
The National Association of Waste Disposal Officers (NAWDO) called the update “a positive move,” saying mandatory fortnightly collections conflicted with broader environmental goals.
The government has also assured residents that food waste collections will remain weekly, but critics argue Labour’s decision comes as councils are also hiking taxes and cutting services, leaving households to bear the brunt.
