SOMERSET Waste Partnership has announced that over 4,000 compost bins have been sold in Somerset since the launch of the 2007 scheme on January 1.

Somerset County Council, and the five district councils in the county are working along side the Waste and Resources Action Programme as part of a national scheme that during 2006 saw over 18,000 compost bins sold in Somerset alone.

The Somerset Waste Partnership is keen to promote home composting to encourage residents to reduce the amount of organic waste that is sent to landfill.

Nigel Woollcombe-Adams, Chair of the Somerset Waste Partnership said: "Many people still do not recognise how easy it is to compost at home and the joint SWP and the Waste and Resources Action Programme Scheme is an excellent way to start. Additionally, composting also offers a simple way to improve your home security by shredding old bank statements and adding them to compost bin. "This helps keep your identity secure and improves the compost mix, as an equal portion of 'brown' material such as paper and thin card helps balance wet 'green' materials such as potato peelings and grass cuttings."

For more information on the current home compost offer or other aspects of waste minimisation, click on the link at www.somersetcountygazette.co.uk or call 0845-0770757.