BURY taxpayers will be stung with a multi-million pound bill if drastic measures are not taken to reduce and recycle rubbish.

A grim report presented to councillors shows that landfill sites are running out, while fines for burying waste will inexorably increase.

Mr Philip Allen, director of environment and development services, said that 105,000 tonnes of waste was produced in Bury each year, equivalent to 450kg per head: the English average is 397kg per head.

Across Greater Manchester, landfill sites will run out in four years. If no action was taken, waste disposal costs would go up from £72 million to £167 million by 2020, plus £126 million in fines.

Mr Allen's figures were taken from a new report on waste management in Greater Manchester setting out the pressures facing local authorities.

Bury recycled just six per cent of its waste last year, but has been given a Government target of 20 per cent for 2005/06. To help achieve this, it has introduced the controversial fortnightly collections of regular waste, and urged residents to fill a variety of boxes and bags with recyclables, to be collected on alternate weeks.

The Greater Manchester target is to keep increases in waste down to two per cent by 2010 and to zero by 2020, while recycling 33 per cent of rubbish by 2010, and 50 per cent by 2020.

WASTE bosses say they have public backing for their strategy, citing a survey which was carried out across Greater Manchester last year.

The six-month survey, by letter to all households, found out that 97 per cent supported a recycling and composting-led approach.

Some 95 per cent were already trying to, or were willing to, reduce the amount of rubbish they created. Some 77 per cent were already home composting or willing to do so.

On the controversial topic of separating your own waste for doorstep collection, 31 per cent already did, and a further 64 per cent were willing to. However, only 52 per cent were in favour of reducing the number of regular waste collections, compared to 30 per cent against. And only 46 per cent agreed in charging residents under a "pay as you throw" scheme for their rubbish, with 33 per cent disagreeing.