With spring around the corner it is a good time to begin preparing the garden for the warmer months. At this time of year a lot of garden waste can have built up over the winter and not only can it take a lot of work to get things in order, a decent gardening bin is required to get rid of the waste.

Increasingly, local councils are insisting that garden waste is disposed of separately to household waste, this is because it is degradable and can be used to make mulch, compost and other organic materials used in agriculture. This means that a separate bin is needed for the garden and with larger gardens, a good-sized garden bin is pretty much essential to keep the garden clear as the amount of waste like mown grass, weeding and other gardening activities produce can soon build up.

There are several different designs of gardening bin to choose from and they come in a wide variety of sizes too. Many garden waste bins are similar to the traditional dustbin, although commonly they are coloured green to help users identify the type of waste that goes into it, although any colour can be used for the job.

A good lid is important for a gardening bin as some waste in the garden can begin to rot and smell and will prevent wind from blowing grass cuttings and other waste around the garden after you have cleared it up.

These dustbin-type bins can be difficult to move around so increasingly wheelie bins are being used which allow householders to wheel the garden waste from the back to the front of the house ready for collection.

Whether you’re a keen gardener, or just concerned about doing your bit to keep the planet healthy, it can be a good idea to invest in a couple of decent compost bins. This is not only a great way to recycling lots of your household waste, but the resulting compost is also brilliant for fertilising your garden.

There are a wide range of compost bins available, and which one you go for will probably depend on what type of compost you’re after.

One option is the moulded continuous composter. This is basically a large plastic container or bin where you can store your garden waste. Make sure the bin is full to the top as it works best when it is packed with stuff. Go for a cone bin with a narrow upper section and tight lid to recycle moisture internally and break the contents down into compost quickly.

Another compost bin option is the tumbler composter. These bins rotate to turn the whole heap of compost, aerating it and helping it decompose more quickly. They are especially good for large batches of kitchen waste or green foliage, although they’re not quite so good for tough, woody fibres so think carefully about what you put in this one.

Compost bins can be made from plastic or wood and both have their advantages.

Plastic is a great material for a compost bin as you can increasingly get hold of ones made out of recycled plastic, adding extra kudos to your green credentials. Recycled plastic is easy to mould, which has led to improved bin designs, like the tumbler composter as mentioned above. Plastic bins are also generally available as a large, single sheet of moulded plastic, which makes them ideal for transporting to new locations. They are maintenance free and come with fitted lids to keep out excess moisture.

Wooden bins, by contrast, generally come in a flat pack so you have to put them together yourself. It’s a good idea to position these against a wall so they have a bit of support. The conditions in wooden bins tend to be quite good, although make sure you treat the timber with a preservative to stop it rotting. It’s also a good idea to line the inside of the wooden bin with durable plastic to prevent the decomposition of the beams.

Any good gardener knows the importance of a good gardening bin. It seems it doesn’t matter whether we are weeding, mowing, planting or seeding the garden is a key place for generating waste.

Many of us are now fortunate to receive gardening bins for our household gardening waste but so much more can be done with the waste from our back gardens that we are quite literally wasting our waste.

Most of the stuff that gets thrown out from when we are gardening such as lawn mowing clippings, weeds we’ve pulled up and leaf litter; can actually be reused by composting. Composting is simply the process of rotting down vegetable matter and using the by-product (compost) as food for the garden. It all sounds quite yucky and messy but there are compost bins available that can keep you compost out of sight.

A good gardening bin is still essential as not everything can be composed. Branches for instance will just sit on top of a compost heap and not decompose so a good sturdy bin is still required. It is always best to select a gardening bin with wheels for convenience as its better to bring the bin to you than traipse handfuls of gardening waste through the house.

Most gardening bins are similar to the conventional wheelie bin although they are mostly coloured green this is also quite useful as it stops you confusing gardening waste with other household rubbish which can be quite important as most gardening waste can be recycled but a lot of household litter can’t.

A good gardening bin needs a good lid too. Especially in the summer as keeping out flies from any bin is important otherwise they will slip through and lay eggs in the bin which can be horrible to clean up.

If you local council does not provided a gardening bin then they are not too expensive and a good quality gardening bin should last years so they are excellent value for money. Heavy duty gardening bins are also available for those that have allotments or work professionally in the gardening industry. These are often larger and are built to a higher standard to allow them to take the rigours of a busy working garden.