If there was a contest for the greenest estate in Britain, one Bradford community would surely be among the top contenders.

You only have to walk around its hub to get a flavour of the work being done to help both local people and the planet. And some of the eco-friendly initiatives are not new – they began well before ‘green’ became the nation’s buzzword.

Holme Wood is awash with schemes that comply with the three Rs – Reduce, Reuse and Recycle – and each has benefits which extend beyond being green.

Still going strong after its launch 30 years ago is the estate’s toy library, which loans toys free of charge to children aged five and under living in the BD4 postcode area. More bulky toys are loaned to organisations and groups.

“I wouldn’t like to guess how many people have used us over the years,” says the library’s chairman, Geraldine Parker. “We have a wide range of toys from dolls’ houses to drums, to sit-and-ride cars and slides. You name it, we’ve probably got it.”

As well as saving parents’ cash – often spent on toys that children rapidly lose interest in – the library gets a huge tick for environmental friendliness.

Across the UK, an astonishing 67 per cent of toys thrown away are in good working order – that’s 8.5 million toys. And hiring toys is a great way to reduce the mountains of packaging waste the industry generates. Children are also able to play at the library. Toys are used until they wear out or are broken – but even then, they are not thrown away immediately.

Clothing donated to the sale is given to a school for the deaf which sells it to raise funds. Other items such as bric-a-brac are sent to a Bradford-based charity helping the mentally ill.

Near the toy library, another green initiative – Furniture 4 U – has been helping residents on the estate for nine years. Donations of furniture and smaller household goods are sold at knock-down prices.

“We accept almost anything – beds, wardrobes, tables, sofas, curtains, pots and pans, and we also sell books and CDs,” says Elaine O’ Connell, manager of the estate’s Good Neighbour Project, of which the shop forms part.

It is busy every day and staff keep records of the tonnage they recycle and pass the information to Bradford Council.

“We probably recycle about four tonnes every month, which is great because we are keeping it out of landfill,” says Elaine.

Another brainwave, which has blossomed into a much-used recycling resource on the estate is Swap Shop, based at Holme Wood Activity Centre.

The concept involves householders advertising unwanted goods to exchange for other items on notice boards at the centre, or on a website. The website is currently being revamped.

Not only can people swap, but the service – which was set up at the beginning of the year and which anyone can access for a small registration fee – allows them to advertise goods for sale.

“People don’t only sell unwanted items, they also throw them away – particularly things like children’s toys and clothing – and we came up with this idea to find a new home for these foods, and reduce the amount of waste going to landfill,” says activity centre volunteer Brian Harrison.

The service is well-used. “We have had some really good swaps including a camera for a bike and a three-piece suite for a TV.”

The boards are also used by local businesses which may have free offers from which the public can benefit, such as giving away low energy light bulbs.

The centre is also a base for people to deposit small items to be recycled – CDs, greetings cards, remote controls, ink cartridges and glasses.

“We collect these for a variety of uses,” says Brian. “The cards and CDs are used for craft activities, the cartridges help to raise funds for Yorkshire Air Ambulance, and the remote controls are donated to a Third World charity. We try to help as many people as possible through recycling.”

For details of Swap Shop contact Holme Wood Activity Centre on (01274) 683740, or visit holmewoodactivitycentre.com.

Holme Wood Toy Library, 11 The Parade, is open on Monday, Tuesday and Friday from 9.30am to 2.30pm. Call (01274) 652059 for more information.

Furniture 4 U, 13-14 The Parade, is open Monday to Friday, from 10am to 3.30pm (closed for lunch from 1pm to 1.30pm). Call (01274) 680997.