An arrangement between trade unions and the council caused a change in how refuse collectors operate.

The previous ‘task and finish’ system meant the binmen could leave early if they had finished their jobs by that time.

It comes as the council leader Lorna Fielker revealed Southampton City Council has brought in agency workers for the backlog - as they did in 2011 when binmen went on strike.

However, the new method ensures that they clock off at the end of their shift rather than finishing prematurely.

This has resulted in many bins around the city being missed, which has significantly impacted the community.

Charlie Bender, 20, lives in the Polygon area and was heavily impacted by the change in the bin collection system.

“One of our bins was not collected for around 3-4 weeks," he said.

“We had to store many of our rubbish and black bags in the house, which didn’t look nice."

He also said that he respects the change to the system and that it’s attempting to create a safer working environment, but something needs to be adapted.

He said: “I respect the new system and the union’s work to create a good working environment for the binmen, but they need to make a change somewhere to ensure that all bins are being collected.”

Nathan Potter, 19, who also lives in the area, expressed his desire for the council to revert to the old waste collection system.

He added: “I would revert to the old system to make sure they are collecting every single bin.

“At one point, it was getting out of hand, to be honest. Bins were overflowing and rubbish was everywhere.”

Furthermore, an elderly couple from Sholing, who did not want to be named, said they’ve also been affected.

They said: “We’re not happy. We’ve not been affected as badly as some, but we’ve still been impacted.

“We must keep our bins out because we never know when they’re going to come or not.”

Keith Windsor, 72, lives in central Southampton and does have his bin emptied regularly by the binmen.

But he has also called for a change from the council as he has seen other places impacted.

“I live in flats near the park (city centre), and they seem to be regularly clearing out our bins. Some areas have been more affected than others.

“I would revert to the normal system if I was the council as it seemed to be a lot more effective,” explained Windsor.

A 25-year-old woman living on Milton Road has also experienced bin issues on her street.

“My street is bad enough already for rubbish on the paths, but it becomes a lot worse when our bins are not collected,” she said.

On the other hand, some locals have not seen a difference in their bin collections and therefore do not believe that the new system needs changing yet.

A man who did not want to be named added: “I would keep the new system in place because, like any change, it will take a while to get used to.

Another man, who also did not want to be named, added: “My bins have been collected regularly, and I have not noticed a difference.”