GREEN-FINGERED people in York and North Yorkshire are being urged to ensure that the increase in garden waste recycling continues.

With the Easter weekend traditionally signalling the time of year when householders begin dusting off their lawnmowers and shovels and turning their attention to the garden, waste management company Yorwaste is reminding people about the importance of recycling garden waste.

Last year, Yorwaste processed more than 21,000 tonnes of green waste from householders - the highest ever figure - and this was despite the poor summer.

With more sites and facilities able to accept green waste, Yorwaste is hoping to surpass this figure in 2005.

Green waste brought into any of the Yorwaste facilities is shredded and then turned on a regular basis to ensure the high temperatures reached during the composting process are sustained.

The final product is then either sold as a commercial product, in the form of the Yorwaste soil conditioner GrowGreen, or sent in bulk composting to the Apex Partnership, a national organisation that manufactures and markets organic green composts and soil improvers from recycled garden waste.

Compost can also been used as part of landfill site restoration.

Updated: 10:09 Saturday, March 26, 2005