WASTE chiefs have rubbished the system Bury uses to pay for refuse disposal, and are calling for it to be trashed.

Members of the Greater Manchester Waste Disposal Authority are weighing in with recommendations to the Government on how councils pay to get rid of their waste.

Under the current system, the amount Bury pays for its rubbish to be sent to landfill by the authority depends upon council tax revenue, rather than how much rubbish they actually produce.

The authority say that a scheme based on the tonnage of waste generated would encourage councils to bring in more recycling initiatives -- like Bury's recently introduced kerbside newspaper and magazine collection.

Pressure is increasing on the authority, with tough Government targets requiring it to recycle 25 percent of waste within the next five years.

That figure can only be achieved through the recycling of more materials, such as glass and aluminium, across Bury and the rest of Greater Manchester.

According to the waste authority, this makes a change in the rules long overdue.

Radcliffe South councillor Steve Perkins, who is chairman of the waste authority, said: "Such a financial incentive would greatly benefit district recycling and recovery initiatives which the Government sees as so important in changing public attitudes and practice in the future."

The authority is also looking for powers to borrow money to invest in new recycling facilities.