PEOPLE in Lancashire are being urged to compost their rubbish to cut down the amount of waste taken to landfill sites.

Lancashire County Council wants more people to start composting as it battles to reduce the levels of waste buried in landfill sites every year.

It is backing National Composting Week by offering advice to people wanting to go green -- and said everyone has a part to play to make sure incinerators do not become a reality.

Lancashire County Council's waste management strategy aims to recycle 58 per cent of household waste by 2020.

Any excess waste will have to be dealt with in ways other than landfill, because the European Union is levying massive charges for dumping rubbish in the ground within the next 10 years.

The most likely way of dealing with that waste will be by using waste incinerators. Two are proposed in Lancashire as part of a £300 million Private Finance Initiative, which will involve contracting out all of Lancashire's waste disposal processes to a private contractor.

County Coun Brian Johnson, cabinet member for community and regeneration, said: "The county council is delighted to support National Composting Week because it fits perfectly with the aims of the new waste strategy. Composting is a great way to reduce the amount you put in your rubbish bin while helping to make your garden greener.

"Everyone has a part to play to make sure we do not incur extra costs in the future.

"We have made no decision on whether we will use an incinerator, but if people want to make sure we don't need one, they things like composting and recycling need to become part of everyday life."

Council chiefs predict that up to half of the average household's waste can be composted.

Biodegradable rubbish such as potato peelings breaks down to form a nutrient compost, good for using to break up heavy and clay soils in the garden.

It also helps sandy soil retain water.

HOW TO MAKE GOOD COMPOST -- THE LANCASHIRE COUNTY COUNCIL GUIDE

Tips on creating a good heap

A GOOD compost heap simply needs to be insulated from the weather, so it doesn't dry out in the sun or become too wet from the rain, say the county council. You could have a heap at the bottom of the garden covered with an old carpet and piece of plastic, or you could make a bin out of old pallets, again insulate the inside of the bin with an old bit of carpet and cover the top.

Whatever system you have, the essence of making successful compost is the same. Think of your compost heap as a living system, it needs plenty of moisture and air, both of which are provided by the materials that you put in the heap.

Ingredients that provide moisture include vegetable and fruit waste as well as grass cuttings, while the air comes from materials such as woody and stemy items as well as screwed up paper and card.

The real secret to good compost is to make sure these two types of material are always mixed

well together. Don't just add a thick layer of grass cuttings as this will suffocate your heap, but mix the grass with screwed up paper and card and/or woody waste.

If you have lots of grass cuttings don't be tempted to put them all in your compost bin, as, in excess, they will create a slimy, smelly mush, but in the right quantity they will help to activate your heap and speed up the break-down of your compost. There is no need to buy an activator.