IN the natural world, green waste has been transformed into compost for thousands of years, it is nature’s way of recycling, but for mere mortals, it has two great qualities.

It not only helps reduce the amount of biodegradable waste ending up in landfill, where in the absence of air it creates harmful methane gas, but also makes the most wonderful soil improver for the garden, full of nutrients, the ultimate humus rich ‘black gold’.

And the best bit? It is absolutely free, unless you count the cost of a proprietary compost bin, that is.

People who don’t compost, often think it is a smelly process or will attract rats. But as long as you create a good mix of carbon or brown stuff (cardboard, woody plant stems, scrunched up paper, straw and roots) and nitrogen (grass cuttings, green leaves, annual weeds and fresh kitchen peelings), there should not be a smell.

Other items you can compost include coffee grounds, nut shells, crushed eggshells, used tea bags and even the contents of your vacuum cleaner. Cooked food and dairy products should never be added to compost, as this can introduce harmful bacteria and attract rats. Rodents can also be attracted to the warmth of the bins (they give off a lot of heat), particularly in the winter, but turning the compost, an essential part of composting, acts as a deterrent. I remember Bob Flowerdew on Gardeners’ Question Time telling listeners to bang on the bin every time you passed and you would never have rats in the bin again. I have never needed to try this, so cannot vouch for it, but it sounds feasible.

The turning process is essential to provide air circulation and if your bin doesn’t have any air holes, you can easily drill a few near the bottom.

When I met Heale Gardens’ gardener, Michael Maltby recently, I was intrigued to see how a large garden coped with its green waste, and he showed me the composting area. “All garden waste comes here and you will be amazed what rots down. It does take a long time - several years - but the key is moving it, and we get the neighbouring farmer in with his JCB to keep it moving.”

The plastic compost bins you buy work quicker and it generally takes around 12 months to produce compost at home. If you need help or advice with composting, Wiltshire Wildlife Trust has a team of composting ambassadors, a volunteer network across the county, and details are on the trust’s website.

And you don’t have to buy a bin, which you can get from garden centres or discounted through local councils, you can just have a big heap at the bottom of your garden or build a bespoke wooden frame.