Breckland, South Norfolk, North Norfolk and Great Yarmouth were all instructed to offer residents a separate food waste collection service by March 31.

It comes as new government guidelines require all councils across the country to offer the new measures, in what has been described as one of the biggest shake-up to recycling policy in England in 20 years.

The councils received millions in funding to help the transition (Image: BBC)

Nationally, the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) handed out more than £340 million in grants to help councils make the switch.

Four Norfolk councils alone received more than £6 million of that pot, yet none managed to meet the deadline.

Norwich City, Broadland and West Norfolk Council have already been operating the scheme for an extended period, and received a minimal amount of financial support.

Breckland, South Norfolk, North Norfolk and Great Yarmouth all point to the same reason as to why they missed the deadline, however.

They claim a national "rush to market" for specialist food waste vehicles, with hundreds of authorities placing orders simultaneously, overwhelmed manufacturers.

Great Yarmouth - which has held Norfolk's worst recycling rate for more than a decade - says it won't have its fleet fully prepared until January 2027.

Great Yarmouth Borough Council has struggled with recycling for years (Image: Supplied)

A spokesman added that delays in government funding also compounded the council's struggles.

North Norfolk expects to launch food waste recycling this autumn, while Breckland and South Norfolk are targeting summer and September respectively.

Norfolk's councils also argue the county's rural character makes the new waste collection difficult, and some have questioned the legitimacy of the scheme in less sparsely populated parts of the county.

One council spokesman said that in rural areas lorries are having to travel miles between collections, meaning fuel and operational costs may outweigh the environmental benefit.

Nationally, 79 English councils - one in four - missed the same deadline.

DEFRA told the BBC that non-compliant councils risk judicial review, but acknowledged they are accountable to their electorate, not ministers.

WHAT CAN YOU PUT IN BINS AHEAD OF THE COLLECTION CHANGES

Newspapers, magazines and telephone directories

Paper and clean cardboard

Plastic bottles (such as drinks, detergent, shampoo and plastic milk bottles - leave the lids on)

Steel and aluminium food and drinks cans

Glass bottles and jars (leave the tops on)

Plastic food pots, tubs and trays (such as yoghurt pots, ice cream containers and margarine tubs)

Waxed cartons and Tetra Paks (such as those used for juices and soups)

Envelopes (including window type), greetings cards and junk mail

Leftover food waste caddy

Fruit and vegetable peelings and cores

Coffee grounds and teabags

Meat and fish (including bones), cooked and uncooked

Out-of-date or mouldy food

Use your rubbish bin for anything that doesn’t go in your recycling bins or food waste caddy. For example:

Vacuum dust and sweepings

© Eastern Daily Press