Kirklees Council has been named as one of the worst at recycling in Yorkshire.

The embarrassment was compounded after neighbouring authority, Calderdale Council, was named as the best in the whole of Yorkshire.

Halifax-based officials have overseen the third biggest boost in recycling in the country – recycling double the amount of their near neighbours in Kirklees.

Meanwhile in Huddersfield, councillors voted this year to cut back on recycling when they axed the popular glass collection service.

Kirklees is now rated as 20th out of 22 Yorkshire councils with just 32.6% of its waste being recycled.

Top of the table Calderdale recycles nearly 61% of general waste – one of only nine local authorities in England to do so.

A spokesman for Kirklees Council said: “Although our recycling rate in Kirklees is lower than many, for each of the last three years our overall diversion of waste away from landfill has been the highest of any council in the Yorkshire and Humber region.

“In simple terms, we send the least waste to landfill of any authority in the region and are in the top 10 performing authorities in England.”

But Kirklees Green party leader Clr Andrew Cooper said the council needed to investigate the effectiveness of its deal with Hillhouse-based Sita.

He said: “I suspect one issue is a lot of waste in Kirklees gets burned in the energy to waste plant.

“That needs looking at. Are we maximising the amount of recycling rather than sticking it in the incinerator.”

Clr Cooper said he also suspected recycling rates had dropped following Sita’s restructure.

The firm axed dozens of jobs last year amid a plan to transport waste 130 miles by road to a more effective site in Northumberland.

Clr Cooper said he was concerned the system was a “disincentive” for Sita to recycle Kirklees’ waste.

He added: “Will they package it up and go to the expense of shipping it up to the north east or do they just bung it in the incinerator?

“That’s something we need to delve into.”

Calderdale Council’s Cabinet Member for Economy and Environment Clr Barry Collins said: “It’s fantastic news that Calderdale has topped the leader board for recycling in Yorkshire and Humberside.

“The hard work of the council’s waste team, our contractors SITA UK and Associated Waste Management and, most important of all, the co-operation of local residents’ must be applauded for this outstanding performance.

“We are determined to keep climbing the recycling rate table nationally as well as regionally and we’re keen to explore further improvements in future waste contracts which may include additional recycling opportunities offered to householders.”

The figures for 2012/13 place Bradford in fourth place while Leeds and Wakefield councils are also languishing near the foot of the table.

Only North East Lincolnshire and Sheffield City Council – propping up the Yorkshire league with just 28% – are worse than Kirklees at recycling household waste.

Calderdale now sends only 16% of its waste to landfill compared to more than 70% as recently as 2008.

Councils were previously given recycling targets and faced fines for every 1,000 tonnes they exceeded their target, but the scheme was scrapped by the current government.