The move follows reports the Department of Communities and Local Government had endorsed a proposal by the South East England Regional Assembly (SEERA) that West Sussex takes:

* 1.23 million tonnes of London rubbish between now and 2015.

* Nearly 700,000 tonnes between 2016 and 2025.

Cllr Smith said: "Any government endorsement of this rubbish proposal is outrageous and unacceptable because our county is a UK pacesetter when it comes to recycling, waste prevention and reducing the rubbish sent to landfill.

"Because of this, we will continue to fight these proposals, which, as we said all along, exposed SEERA as an organisation not committed to the interest of its members.

"I will be pressing for this issue to be raised at the next meeting of the Greater London Assembly and ensuring our views on this proposal are made clear in the corridors of Whitehall."

West Sussex County Council already arranges for the recycling or disposal of 450,000 tonnes of waste annually collected by district and borough councils in the county.

This is on top of the rubbish left at its countywide network of household waste recycling sites.

Cllr Smith added: "Any endorsement of SEERA's proposal is particularly galling because it would follow the unveiling last month, to much acclaim, our plans to build a plant in West Sussex that will have the potential to turn rubbish into eco-friendly fuel for local buses or refuse collection vehicles, or even provide heating for local homes and businesses.

"The onus should be put on London to seek effective ways of managing its own waste – and not to use West Sussex and our neighbours as the capital's rubbish tip."



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