RESIDENTS in County Durham are being urged to get composting this autumn.

Durham County Council is encouraging people to put garden trimmings, grass cuttings and fallen leaves to good use by turning them into compost.

Adding things such as coffee grounds, tissues, paper napkins, cardboard and vacuum cleaner dust will help to create nutritious compost that will be ready to use on the garden in the spring.

And for people wondering what to do with piles of fallen leaves this autumn, one possibility is to make a leaf mould that can be used in place of peat as a potting compost for container plants.

A good tip with fallen leaves is to use a lawnmower to collect them, as this shreds them, helping with the composting process. To make a leaf mould the leaves should be put into a bin bag with a few holes in it and left to rot down.

To help residents, the county council has teamed up with Getcomposting.com to provide a special offer on home compost bins.

As part of the scheme compost bins are priced £17.98 for County Durham residents, with an option to buy a second bin for £8.99.

To order a compost bin or find out more information people can visit getcomposting.com or call 0844-571-4444.