A £25 million package to revolutionise the way a growing mountain of rubbish is handled has been unveiled.

The Private Finance Initiative for West Sussex has been approved by Environment Secretary Margaret Beckett.

The contract will mean major improvements to the 11 civic amenity tips residents can use free of charge to dispose of bulky items.

More items than ever before will be sorted and recycled as part of the drive to exceed national recycling targets.

The campaign was prompted partly by reports landfill tips in West Sussex will be full by 2006, while the tax imposed by the Government on rubbish going into holes in the ground has been steadily rising.

The scheme was drawn up by the county council and all seven district and borough councils.

The cash boost means the county's rubbish transfer stations, material recovery centres, civic amenity tips and recycling centres will all be given an upgrade.

County Hall and the district and borough councils say it will help meet a West Sussex target of recycling 45 per cent of all rubbish by 2005 compared with the national target set by the Government of 36 per cent.

Councillor Michael Dennis, Cabinet member for public safety, said tenders would be invited from the private sector to pick a company to design and operate the facilities.

The £25 million scheme will be advertised in the new few weeks, with the county council saying it hopes to launch a contract in late 2004.

Only 17.2 per cent of rubbish in West Sussex is recycled at the moment but that figure has risen from 14 per cent during the past 12 months.

Last year, the county council launched a crackdown at civic amenity tips including new height barriers and weight restrictions on vehicles to prevent traders posing as householders from disposing of waste.