Wiltshire Wildlife Trust is urging people to have a go at composting this week as part of Compost Awareness Week.

The trust is calling on the public to try out composting activities to mark Compost Awareness Week, which runs until Saturday.

It said that although about a third of people already compost at home, there were lots of new composting activities that people may not have tried.

For example, 60 per cent of people had never tried composting general household waste, such as scrunched up paper or the contents from a vacuum cleaner, and about half had never tried using peat-free compost, according to ICM research conducted in March last year.

Sara Cundy, trust waste minimisation officer, said: “This Compost Awareness Week we are encouraging everyone to give composting a go.

“Even those of us who are already composting at home could compost more things more often, or try new things, such as greener, peat free composts. However you choose to get involved, there are plenty of new things you can try, which will not only help the environment but also help your garden grow greener.”

Wiltshire Wildlife Trust said anyone with outside space could compost at home and is encouraging people to think of things to compost such as egg shells, tea bags, coffee grounds and filter paper. The trust said vegetable peelings or garden waste were sometimes thought to be harmless, but when dumped into landfill sites they can cause greenhouse gases to be released.

Home composting, it added, can by managed by most people with a garden, allotment or patio.

Homemade compost can be used to enrich garden borders or to give plants a boost.

For more information about Compost Awareness Week and how to start composting visit www.recyclenow.com/compost.