A WORCESTER woman has scooped first prize in a competition aiming to encouraging more people to compost.

Manel MacDonald, of St John's, was the lucky winner of a garden shredder after entering the Worcestershire County Council contest at Malvern's Spring Garden Show.

The council's waste management team were at the show during Compost Awareness Week to encourage people to take up home composting and to help those already composting to do so more effectively.

Staff offered Worcestershire and Herefordshire people the chance to climb on board the recycling bus and view the composting exhibition, as well as enter the competition to win a garden shredder.

Mrs MacDonald was the name drawn from the hat to take home the Bosch Axt Rapid 2000, which was donated by the firm.

Viktoria Salisbury, the council's project development officer for composting, said: "We try to encourage people to take up home composting to reduce the amount of waste which has to be sent to landfill.

"Using a home shredder is a great way to keep your garden tidy and also to improve your compost, as well as saving you time in having to take garden waste to a household waste site.

"By offering people the chance to enter a competition to win a garden shredder we hoped to encourage more people to use them to deal with their garden waste at home; and to produce a valuable product which can be used in their garden."

Those seeking more advice on composting at home should contact the waste management team on 01905 768268, or visit the council's website at www.worcester shire.gov.uk/composting. For general gardening tips, you can also try logging on to www.WorcesterNews.co.uk