For Kevin Warnes and his family, recycling is a way of life.

And, as Green Party ward councillor for Shipley, he is working hard to encourage others to make it part of their daily routine too.

"Once you start, it quickly becomes part of your routine, separating things out and putting items in the appropriate bags."

Kevin, his wife Betts and children Laura, six, and four-year-old Grace, are all doing their bit.

"The kids really enjoy it - they like to separate things out, and it helps them to learn about the different materials and about how they can be used again to help cut waste," says Kevin.

Incredibly, recycling has seen the family reduce their waste by half over the past ten months.

"We have always recycled but now do so from home rather than driving it all to Dowley Gap waste reclamation site. I reckon that we recycle or compost about two-thirds of our household waste.

"With plastic, if you are unsure what can and can't be recycled, look for the recycling mark," he adds.

These, which can also be found on paper (envelopes containing utility bills, for example) can vary in design, the most common being a triangle made up of arrows pointing in one direction, or a circle with two interwoven arrows.

These can be seen by visiting www.biffa.co.uk/getrecycling/symbols. php.

As well as recycling, Kevin and his family save energy through the use of low-energy light bulbs. "We have them throughout the house, in all the bedrooms, and the study."

Their electricity is bought through Ecotricity, most of which is generated by wind turbines. "It is not-for-profit - the company invests all its money in increasing turbine capacity."

He is turning an area of the garden at his Victorian terraced home into a vegetable patch. "The more food we grow, the more we can cut down on packaging."

And he may install solar panels into the south-facing roof. "Some solar panels directly heat your hot water, which would save a lot on heating bills, and reduce energy consumption. It would cater for, on average, about half the water needs for a typical family."

Kevin believes that more and more people will turn to a greener way of life - but they need advice and practical help in doing so.

"It has got to be a partnership between Government agencies and the individual. People need the means and the opportunity to change their everyday habits."

Not everyone, he points out, is prepared to drive their rubbish to the local tip, but would be prepared to put it outside for collection.

"Bradford Council recycle about 22 per cent of domestic waste, so if every household halved their waste by recycling, then Bradford would double the amount it recycles."

What the Warnes family recycle:

Food Non-cooked vegetable peelings - potato, carrot, onion, for example - are put into a small green bin in the kitchen, before being transferred to the compost bin in the garden. The resulting compost will be used on the family's planned vegetable patch and herb garden, as well as the flowerbeds.

Glass and cans Collected in a special bin, which is in turn picked up once a month by Bradford Council at the kerbside.

Paper Paper, being predominantly newspapers, is collected in separate bins in the house - in the hall, living room and office. When full, these are emptied into the main bin outside, which is emptied once a month by the Council.

Cardboard Light cardboard is torn up and put in the green, organic waste bin. Cereal boxes are put in the paper recycling bag, and heavier cardboard - the thicker type used to deliver books or white goods to your home - is bound up, stored in the garage alongside the plastic, and taken to Dowley Gap.

Plastic At present, there is no kerbside plastic collection in the district where the family live, but they still keep plastic items to take to the household waste tip at Dowley Gap. They collect items including plastic drinks bottles, food wrapping, ice cream tubs, yoghurt cartons and other plastic containers. These are stored in the garage until there is a decent pile to take to the tip.

Garden waste Put into a garden bag', for a monthly kerbside collection.

Water Kevin is very proud of the water butt he recently installed at the side of his home. The collected rain water will be used to water the garden.