GREEN-fingered gardeners planning to give their garden a spring-clean have been given a helping hand by Hounslow Council, which is bringing back its successful garden waste collection service for another year.

Whether it's grass clippings, twigs, small branches, weeds or other pruning detritus, the scheme will ensure that all garden waste is put to good use - material collected is sent for central composting, and the compost can be purchased from Space Waye, the Council's Reuse and Recycling Centre, for £1.50 per bag.

Waste Minimisation Officer, Jayshree Taank, said: "This was a very popular service last year, when we collected 704 tonnes of garden waste.

"We have extended the scheme this year, and it will be running for an additional month, from mid-April to mid-November.

"We are also using biodegradable garden waste bags made of corn-starch, which can be composted along with the garden waste.

"Therefore it's important to remember not to use the bags for stones, gravel, soil, rubble, food waste or general rubbish."

Bag sales kick off on March 29, and collections will begin on April 19.

To use the scheme, residents must use London Borough of Hounslow Green Garden Waste Collection Sacks, bought from ECT Recycling Ltd.

Sacks can be bought in three ways: 1 Order sacks online, using a debit/credit card. Log onto www.ectrecycling.co.uk/hounslowgardenwaste; 2 Order sacks over the telephone, using a debit/credit card. Please call ECT Recycling on 020 8813 3191 or 3192; 3 Complete the order form in the Council's magazine, hm, and send it with a cheque/postal order to: ECT Recycling Ltd, P.O. Box 287, Greenford, Middlesex, UB6 9ZH. Cheques/postal orders should be made payable to ECT Recycling Ltd.

For more information on the scheme, contact the Recycling Team on 020 8583 5068 or email the address recycling@hounslow.gov.uk.