ACTON Bridge village can now boast of being home to an expert composter.

Morton Hodgson, of Cliff Lane, has recently qualified as a Master Composter and is only too happy to pass on some of his expert knowledge to his neighbours.

The 70-year-old, who is also a parish councillor in the village, said that the benefits of composting for the planet and the garden are enormous.

“If you read the papers you’ll see there is a huge amount of domestic waste chucked out, which could be converted into compost,” he said.

“What we are doing is re-using the stuff which is going to landfill and would then produce methane. You are converting it into a material that can be used in the garden, so you save at both ends.

“And the benefits to the garden are considerable as it acts as a soil conditioner – it really enriches the soil.”

Retired Morton was invited by Cheshire County Council to take part in the two-day intensive training course at Chester Zoo along with 25 other volunteers from across Cheshire.

Morton, who has always been into composting, said it is very easy to learn.

The waste is divided into greens – which includes grass cuttings – and browns – which includes cardboard and egg boxes.

He added: “It’s important that you get a balance otherwise you end up with a sticky mess – it’s about 60 per cent green and 40 per cent brown.

“Anyone can do it and once you know what you are doing it’s quite easy and it’s important that people understand you don’t have to have a massive garden to be a composter.”