Council to close household waste recycling centre

The closure follows a review of all waste sites in Kirklees

A household waste recycling centre will close after its owner decided work to upgrade it was "unaffordable".

Kirklees Council said it would shut the tip on Nab Lane in Birstall as well as reducing opening hours at sites in Meltham and Upper Cumberworth.

The decision has been taken along with the council's waste disposal contractor, SUEZ.

The council said £7m of investment in the recycling centre was needed to bring it up to modern standards.

A review of all five of the sites in the Kirklees district began as part of the council's budget in 2024-5.

It concluded that Nab Lane was the least used by members of the public.

Meltham and Upper Cumberworth will only open five days a week rather than seven.

The council added that resources would be shared across both sites so that Upper Cumberworth would open from Friday to Tuesday and Meltham from Wednesday to Sunday.

The closure will be implemented in late autumn but an exact date has not been confirmed.

Councillor Munir Ahmed said that the council's review had found that the remaining tips had "capacity" to cope with increased use. The nearest remaining site to Birstall would be Weaving Lane in Dewsbury.

SUEZ contract manager Mark Ryan said: "Formal consultation discussions with all affected staff have begun with regards to their employment. We will work with unions to ensure that this process is managed in the best interests of all parties."