A row has erupted over a glossy brochure promoting plans for a controversial £10 million waste site.

Hundreds of residents received the two-page letter with colour illustrations and an aerial view colour photograph of the proposed facility in Hollingdean, Brighton.

But many people who oppose the plans are angry it was printed by waste contractor Onyx under the logo of Brighton and Hove City Council, which will be discussing a bid for planning permission.

The Dump the Dump campaign group has issued a self-funded CD of heavy traffic using the site in an attempt to demonstrate that Hollingdean Road is unsuitable.

Although the plot of land has been used in the past for waste purposes and is adjacent to the council's in-house refuse depot, the area is mainly residential.

Mother-of-two Sandra Staufer, of Dump the Dump, said: "This is yet again another sign of Onyx and the council collaborating. This should not be happening before a planning application is to be discussed."

All of the city's landfill space is expected to be full by 2008 and the council has to find other ways of dealing with rubbish. Both the recycling and the non-recyclable waste will be dealt with by Onyx, which has a 25-year contract with the council.

The Hollingdean Lane site was identified in the Waste Local Plan as an area suitable for dealing with waste. A plant to sort recyclable material would be built on the land but campaigners against the proposal fear it will generate traffic pollution from the volume of lorries using the site.

The literature from Onyx says: "It is anticipated that three to four larger lorries will be entering and leaving the facility hourly between 7am and 6pm from Monday to Friday".

Campaigners say these movements will be in addition to dustcarts and recycling lorries already using the adjacent site.

Mrs Staufer said: "The CD is just part of our campaign research. Brighton will become the dustbin of the county and beyond if the operators get their way."

A council spokesman said: "The leaflet and map, produced jointly with Onyx, is part of our measures to ensure local residents are properly informed about plans for the waste transfer site at Hollingdean.

"We are fully aware of the concerns of local people and of some local misinformation about the project.

"We have produced the literature to set the facts straight.