SECRET rubbish disposal is on the minds of some people, as a backup plan if their council starts collecting their rubbish less frequently.

Public Finance (Aug 3) reports that almost 200 councils have already switched to fortnightly bin collections in an attempt to stimulate recycling.

But a survey of 1,177 UK householders by the Institute of Public Finance (IPF) suggests that just one person in four would consider increasing the amount he or she recycled while 14 per cent said that they would “find somewhere else to dispose [of their rubbish]”. That figure rose to 20 per cent in the West Midlands, where only 12 per cent say that they would recycle more.

Nearly half of all respondents say that they will simply “complain to the council”.

The IPF cautions: “There is concern that this could result in increased fly-tipping … in the worst-case scenario it could add a further 14 per cent to the £50 million spent clearing up after fly-tippers.”

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