More than 100 campaigners are expected to besiege a county hall today in protest at plans for future rubbish disposal.

The provisional waste local plan has sparked anger across East Sussex because it promotes an unpopular incinerator at Newhaven and a controversial tip in Hollingdean, Brighton.

Protesters in their thousands have packed community halls to let council officials know how angry they are at both sets of proposals.

Activists were dealt a blow last Wednesday when Brighton and Hove City Council adopted the plan.

Today, East Sussex county councillors will make their decision on whether to adopt the final version.

Campaigners from Friends of the Earth, Defenders of the Ouse Valley and Dump the Dump will call on councillors to send it back to the drawing board.

Caroline Kenward, co-ordinator of Lewes Friends of the Earth said: "The waste plan stinks. It's completely unreasonable to dump the majority of our rubbish on Newhaven.

"We want to see smaller, more local sites dealing with rubbish near to where it is created rather than carting it around on our congested roads."

Brenda Pollack, of South-East Friends of the Earth said: "There needs to be a radical rethink. We want to see a recycling-led strategy, not an incinerator-led one.

"We shouldn't be burning rubbish that could be recycled or composted.

"18,600 objections shows the level of discontent from the public. Councillors must listen to their electorate, not bulldoze them."

The waste local plan was the subject of an independent public inquiry in 2003 which led the inspector to recommend a number of changes.

Friends of the Earth believes the council has ignored these recommendations and wants the inquiry to be reopened.

Activists also want to see half the county's waste recycled or composted by 2015.