Food bin schemes across England are in chaos 100 days after new rules were brought in with streets left maggot-infested after collections were routinely missed.Homeowners have complained of stinking bins and a 'maggot apocalypse' during heatwave conditions, with some describing councils' new waste policies as 'farcical'.Fresh rules for household waste and recycling came into force on March 31 but one in four councils were not ready to provide the service with many delaying the rollout.Record-breaking temperatures for both May and June and the ongoing heatwave in July have exacerbated issues with delays following the rollout, as uncollected food waste has caused a stench in the heat while some bin collection times have changed.Households are now told to separate rubbish into a maximum of four different bins for waste collectors to pick up as part of the changes aimed at standardising collections.One is for food and garden waste; one for paper and card; one for dry recyclables such as glass, metal and plastics; and one for general non-recyclable rubbish. The changes, first announced in 2024, also saw weekly food waste collections brought in.About half of councils were not collecting food waste weekly before the new laws were created, and many have struggled to get their new schemes up and running.Some local authorities advise those whose bins are full after collections are missed to dispose of any further food in general waste bins to be picked up on another date.TikTok user @uffte posted a video explaining how she was horrified to return home from dinner out to find 'an explosion of white larvae maggots outside my home' crawling out of her food binIn Brighton, foxes have learned how to break into food waste bins when they are locked TikTok user @uffte posted a video last week explaining how she was horrified to return home from dinner out to find 'an explosion of white larvae maggots outside my home crawling out of my food recycling bin because the weather is so hot'.Describing it as a 'maggot apocalypse', she said she Googled what to do and ended up pouring hot water over the maggots and moving the bin, but it smelled 'so fishy'.Another homeowner, Ali Mathieson, wrote on Instagram: 'It is a farce. I followed all the rules, put out my new food waste bin which was not collected. I have seven bins now and I live in a terraced house and the pavements along my street are full of bins.'It is so ugly and dangerous as you can't push a pram or wheelchair on the pavement or even walk alone without having to dodge bins.'Some councils such as South Gloucestershire are temporarily accepting food waste at recycling centres following disruption to bin collections due to the heatwave.Before the recent hot spell, people in Ipswich were among those furious at food waste bins becoming infested with maggots after they were not collected for weeks following their introduction.Andrew Dixon, who lives in the Rushmere St Andrew area of the Suffolk town, said the lack of collections until recently had led to an increase in vermin and foxes locally. The four new bins for households in England The new default requirement for most households in England from March 31 this year are four containers for:residual (non-recyclable) wastefood waste (mixed with garden waste if appropriate)paper and cardall other dry recyclable materials (plastic, metal and glass)These container types may include bags, bins or stackable boxes. After the collections, he told the Ipswich Star: 'Thank goodness they have finally be collected, now we have less vermin around. Whether they keep it up is another thing.'Janet Ratley, who lives on the same road, claimed the delay in collections by East Suffolk Council had also caused her food waste bin to become overrun with maggots.Heather Nyberg, of Parham, had no collection for a month and said the bins 'stink - it's horrendous and they're covered in maggots and fleas and there are rodents'.East Suffolk Council said most residents were receiving weekly collections on time, but some rounds were 'not being completed because of technical problems with the brand-new specialist vehicles - while, at the same time, crews adapt to the new service processes.'A spokesperson added that residents were asked to continue placing the food bins out for collection on the assigned day - but, if it is not taken, they should 'bring it back in from kerbside and store outside with their other larger bins'.They also said: 'If the large caddy becomes full during this period, and there is further food waste to dispose of, residents are welcome to place this in their general waste bin for collection.'In Brighton, video footage showed how foxes have learned how to break into food waste bins when they are locked.A video from Philip Wells's doorbell camera published by The Argus caught foxes opening the bin despite it being locked in the upright and front position.