Powys has been praised before for its use of recycling schemes

The county council is offering a new after-sales service to 4,000 householders who bought one of its compost bins last year.

Under the scheme, people will receive a booklet or a phone call from what the authority calls a "master composter."

But for those hard to solve green-fingered gripes, the "compost doctor" will carry out home visits.

In latest available figures, the Welsh Assembly Government said the local authority recycled and composted 28% of all its waste in 2003 - more than any other county in Wales.

Organic waste such as lawn cuttings and vegetable peelings can be easily dealt with in the garden Roanna Manson, Powys County Council

The council said the "compost doctor", one of its recycling team, was available for home visits "for those difficult to solve problems".

Powys County Council's waste minimisation officer, Roanna Manson, said as well as compost being used in the garden to help grow plants or vegetables, it also helped reduce the burden on landfill sites.

"Organic waste such as lawn cuttings and vegetable peelings can be easily dealt with in the garden, either in a bin or a heap," she said.

"The waste decomposes naturally and produces fantastic free compost.

"However, when this waste is landfilled it decomposes under different conditions and causes detrimental effects such as methane gas".