That is why the Community and Environment Awards are seeking to find Calderdale's Best Recycling Initiative, and the judges were pleased with a strong line up.

Shortlisted was Kilner Green Woodworks for their work on the Duke Of Wellington Gallery at Bankfield Museum, Boothtown, Halifax. They reused existing material during a major refurbishment saving vast amounts of new raw material while creating a more eco-friendly building.

Judge Pam Warhurst said: "The designers have lived and breathed the environment while creating this, it is exceptional."

The judges were also impressed by the impact waste collectors Kerbside had in a relatively short space of time.

Soo Nevison said: "They don't only recycle rubbish, they recycle people. They are outstanding in getting supposedly unemployable people employed, and they are absolutely well loved everywhere they collect."

The green credentials of builder Southdale Homes, which is involved in a number of housing association and low-cost housing projects in Calderdale, earned a place on the shortlist too. The company has an initiative to reduce all site waste by 10 per cent.

Judge John Furbisher said: "They are doing an excellent job at what they need to do."

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