Every single Bradfordian is sending the equivalent in weight of a Bradford Bulls player to the tip MORE than they were almost a decade ago, despite the relentless driving home of the eco-message in the last ten years.

New Government figures show that each person in the district is sending an extra 83kg (13 stones) of rubbish to landfill sites every year - the exact weight of new Bulls player Richard Johnson.

In 1998/99 the average Bradfordian was sending 481kg of waste to the dumps, but in 2006/07 this rose to 564kg - or 0.6 tons.

The figures were released as a parliamentary written answer from the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.

However, the current landfill use has fallen from the high of 617kg per person being dumped in the ground in 2002/03.

It is feared a tough regime of Government fines for landfill use will lead to council tax hikes, unless local authorities make dramatic improvements.

The tax on waste dumped in landfill sites is increasing by 33 per cent a year for four years, with councils facing having to pay up to £150 a tonne over a set quota by 2010.

Julia Goldsworthy, the Liberal Democrat local government spokesman who requested the landfill figures, said: "It is not just about being seen to be making the effort to recycle more of the waste.

"There are big questions about how we tackle waste in the first place.

"As a result of the landfill tax, the more rubbish people throw out, the more people's Council Tax is going to go up."

She said the Government should set down tough guidelines for manufacturers in a bid to drive down the amount of wasteful packaging: "At the moment the incentives just aren't there for the commercial sector."

A DEFRA spokesman said: "Many householders and local authorities have got the reduce, re-use and recycle' message and are doing a great job - the latest statistics show that that in England, local authorities have increased national recycling and composting rates to 31 per cent and disposed of one million tonnes less waste in landfill in 2006/07, compared to 2005/06.

"If we are to combat the negative impacts of climate change, under-performing local authorities everywhere must do more to help their residents reduce their rubbish and recycle more."

The figures come just days after it was announced that Bradford Council had successfully bid for private finance initiative credits to the tune of a £62.1 million from The Treasury to help find a long-term solution to the increased costs of waste - and divert waste from landfill to meet UK and European targets.

About 75 per cent of Bradford's household waste ends up in landfill, with the remainder recycled or composted, but the Government intends to impose heavy taxes on landfill and fine authorities that exceed their quotas, as does the EU.

It means the Council needs to investigate alternative methods of managing and disposing of waste.

The Council has already approached waste disposal companies to come up with ways to tackle the district's rubbish in a 25-year, £400m contract.

The plan includes building a treatment plant - possibly an incinerator - and a deal in principle has been agreed to transport rubbish from Calderdale to the new centre until 2017.

After the Government figures were revealed, a Bradford Council spokesman said: "We have made progress in reducing the amount of household waste we send to landfill and increasing our household waste recycling rate year on year, which is now at 27per cent.

"The figures quoted are misleading as they quote municipal wastes, and not household waste. Municipal waste includes both household wastes and wastes which are not generated by households, such as commercial and industrial wastes and inert wastes. The amount of commercial and industrial wastes that the Council manages varies depending on the level of our commercial waste contracts and the volumes put out for disposal by private industry.

"The Council has been rolling out new kerbside recycling collection services, and last year we opened a new household waste recycling centre in Manningham and revamped facilities at Golden Butts household waste recycling centre in Ilkley.

"The public need to play their part by thinking about their buying policies, and the resulting waste they produce, and how it is managed."