Residents across West Yorkshire are facing lengthy journeys to dispose of household waste following the closure of local recycling centres, a situation that has coincided with a sharp rise in illegal dumping. The reopening of one facility offers partial relief, but communities in Ilkley and Birstall remain without nearby alternatives, forcing some to travel more than 20 miles for basic waste disposal.
Sugden End Recycling Centre near Cross Roads will reopen later this year after Bradford Council's executive approved the decision on 8 September 2026, with the authority redirecting £400,000 from cultural funding to make it happen. According to local reporting, the reopened site is expected to restore access for approximately 90,000 properties and reduce pressure on other recycling centres. The diverted funding was originally earmarked for cultural events such as markets, festivals and concerts, with initial reopening costs of £95,000 and annual running costs of about £315,000.
However, the reopening of Sugden End does not address the crisis facing residents in neighbouring areas. Steve Walker, a 70-year-old from Ilkley, now faces a 40-minute round trip to Keighley Household Waste Recycling Centre despite living just 10 minutes from the Ellar Ghyll recycling centre in Menston, which is run by Leeds City Council.
Why can't residents use their nearest facility?
Access to the Menston site is restricted to those living within its catchment area.
If you go to Menston, they do not like you using it because you do not live up there,Walker explains. This forces him to travel to Keighley, where conditions are far from ideal.
It is absolute bedlam, people queue for at least half an hour,he says of the overcrowded facility.
The underlying cause of this access crisis stems from decisions made in 2024. The previous Labour administration at Bradford Council closed the Golden Butts recycling site in Ilkley as part of cost-cutting measures, and the site has since been sold to a housing developer. This closure has left the Wharfe Valley community without local waste disposal options.
How has the closure affected fly-tipping?
The lack of accessible waste disposal facilities has coincided with a significant increase in illegal dumping. Official government figures show that fly-tipping reports in the Bradford Council area rose from 18,456 in 2023-24 to 19,697 in 2024-25. Walker has witnessed this firsthand in his community.
Everywhere you go, you see mattresses at the side of the road. There are old suitcases and builders' rubbish,he observes.
Bradford Council is currently investigating a case of fly-tipping on Ilkley Moor discovered by a dog walker earlier this month. The pile included broken furniture, wood, paint cans, garden waste and bags of household rubbish. Suzanne Young, a 64-year-old from Burley-in-Wharfedale who used the Golden Butts site at least once a month before its closure, expresses her dismay at the situation.
I am ashamed of people that fly-tip, it spoils it for everyone else,she says.
Dan Pearson, whose father volunteers with the Friends of Ilkley Moor group, describes the recent fly-tipping incident as
heartbreaking.He notes that volunteers spend considerable time attempting to prevent rubbish accumulation on the moor, but the problem persists.
Ultimately, it does not get dealt with,he says.
What is the council doing to address the problem?
The Reform UK-led Bradford Council has stated it is
actively lookingfor new tip provision in Ilkley but cannot provide a timetable for when a replacement might open. Part of a farm has been suggested as a possible location. In correspondence to the authority, Ilkley councillors have requested that Wheatley Grange Farm not be sold without retaining part of the site adjacent to the sewage works for a potential replacement centre.
Andrew Loy, one of the councillors who signed the letter, emphasises the urgency of the issue.
It has been two-and-a-half years since the tip shut, and it is still one of the top issues people raise with us,he says, acknowledging residents'
frustrationwith the 22-mile round trip to Keighley.
The council now has to decide if the site is viable,he adds.
Dan Pearson has welcomed the plan to reopen Sugden End, though he views it as a basic service that should not require such lengthy journeys.
It is just basic services. I pay a lot of council tax but I do not even have anywhere to drop my bin bags off. We should have these services without having to have hour-long round trips,he says.
What is happening in Birstall?
Twenty miles from Ilkley, residents of Birstall face a similar crisis. Kirklees Council closed the tip on Nab Lane in the town as part of cost-cutting measures, prompting a campaign to restore the facility. Councillor Joshua Sheard is challenging the authority to follow Bradford's example and reinstate the tip.
If they can do it, why can't we?he asks.
The Conservative councillor for the Birstall and Birkenshaw ward advocates for greater cooperation between local authorities to give residents more choice about which facility to use.
The money is there, the now Reform cabinet has to take the opportunity to go forward with a cross-border report and speak to neighbouring councils. I do not see why we cannot co-operate with Leeds, Bradford and Wakefield to manage it on a regional level. It is something that is just incredibly basic that everyone has the right to access,he says.
Michelle Street, a 56-year-old who used the Nab Lane tip every week before its closure, now travels to Dewsbury to dispose of her waste. Although the journey takes only 25 minutes, the facility is increasingly overwhelmed.
The queues are horrendous - you can be there for an hour plus. In all reality are people actually going to do that?she asks.
Jonathan Harvey, another Birstall resident, expresses frustration at the scale of illegal dumping in the area.
You see it dumped on back alleys - people have no concern for other people's land or property,he says, describing the number of people choosing to fly-tip as
outrageous.
What are the councils saying?
Councillor Ian Walker, Bradford Council's Executive Member for Neighbourhoods and Communities, stated that
the reopening of Sugden End Household Waste Recycling Centre will make it much easier for residents to dispose of their waste, reducing the queues and congestion currently experienced by many residents.He added that the council is
reviewing HWRC provision, with various options being explored.On the fly-tipping issue, he acknowledged that
fly-tipping is a real problem across the whole countryand committed to continuing work
with residents and partners to minimise this illegal behaviour.
A Kirklees Council spokesperson acknowledged that
the closure means some residents have to travel further to access a Household Waste and Recycling Centre,and noted that
ongoing major infrastructure projects are having on traffic in parts of Kirklees.The authority stated that
residents can still use alternative household waste and recycling facilities across Kirklees,and that it will
keep service arrangements under review as part of the ongoing management of the service.Regarding fly-tipping, the spokesperson said the council has
not seen any evidence that directly links reported fly-tipping to the closure of the Nab Lane sitebut is
continuing to monitor the data closely and will take appropriate action if the evidence changes.
What happens next?
Sugden End is expected to become operational before Christmas 2026, providing relief for residents in the Cross Roads area. Bradford Council continues to examine possible sites for an Ilkley replacement facility, though no date has been announced. Kirklees Council has indicated it will keep its service arrangements under review, but no timeline for reopening the Nab Lane tip has been provided. The situation remains a point of political contention, with local councillors continuing to press their respective authorities for action on what they describe as a fundamental public service.
