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With summer on its way, many people are getting down to some gardening. But did you know that all garden waste can be recycled by composting?

If you want to do your bit for the environment, here's how.

All garden waste, including grass cuttings, prunings, leaves, hedge trimmings and vegetable waste from your kitchen can be recycled by composting. Your local council may help you get a composter or offer a green waste collection service.

Composting

Composting organic waste (waste from anything that grows) benefits your garden and reduces the amount of waste at landfill sites.

Contact the Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP) who run a Home Composting Initiative. The WRAP helpline number is 0808 100 2040.

You can compost:

fruit and vegetable scraps

tea bags, coffee grounds

crushed egg shells

grass cuttings, prunings and leaves

small amounts of shredded paper and soft cardboard

animal hair

vacuum dust (only from woollen carpets)

You can't compost:

cat or dog excrement

meat

cheeses

fish

disposable nappies

shiny card

hard objects

Setting up your bin and using the compost

Position your compost bin in a sunny spot on well-drained soil and keep it warm and moist. The soil below the bin should be loosened to improve drainage and increase access for worms and bacteria which speed up the formation of compost.

Place a few inches of kitchen waste on the soil at the bottom of the bin. For best results, organic waste should be put in the bin in layers of different material between 6-12 cm deep.

Keep the lid on your compost bin and don't let the compost dry out. Make sure air gets into the centre of the bin by turning the contents regularly. This also speeds up the decomposition process.

Once the organic materials have rotted down you can collect the compost from the hatch at the base of the bin. The compost can be used in the garden, for example, on flowerbeds where it will act as a fertiliser.

Community composting

Contact an organisation like the Community Composting Network to get involved in projects which encourage people to compost, ranging from individual promotion to organised collections.

Green garden waste collection schemes

Most councils now offer a green bag scheme for the collection of garden waste. Although collections are often free, a small fee may be charged. Contact your local council to find out more.

Recycling centres

If you don't have room for a compost bin and your council doesn't collect garden waste, take it to your local household waste recycling centre or waste disposal site, where you'll find skips for garden waste.

Your waste is taken to composting facilities and either sold on or re-used locally as a soil improver. For more information, contact your local council.