Somerset residents are being encouraged to compost their grass cuttings or cut their lawns less during the coronavirus lockdown to reduce green waste.

Somerset's 16 recycling centres remain closed while lockdown remains in place, making it harder for residents to dispose of cuttings, branches and other such waste.

The Somerset Waste Partnership (SWP) has also temporarily paused garden waste collections, ensuring it has enough staff to handle the routine recycling and refuse pick-ups.

The SWP has now issued advice to residents about how they can reduce their green waste – and says the recycling centres will reopen as soon as it is safe and feasible to do so.

A spokesman said: "We completely understand why people want to get back to using the recycling centres. We're as keen as anyone to see them reopen as soon as possible, and our depleted crews are collecting huge amounts of extra waste and recycling every week.

"The centres are closed in Somerset, as they are across almost all of the country, in line with the national guidance against non-essential travel, which is there to prevent the spread of coronavirus.

"We and our partners – including Viridor, which operates the centres on our behalf – are monitoring the situation closely and will make sure they are reopened as soon as it's safe to do so.

"Staff and vehicles which usually collect garden waste have been switched to the core collections of recycling and rubbish. As soon as we able to we will restart garden waste collections and extend people's subscriptions so that they don't lose out financially."

The SWP has offered the following suggestions on its website for people struggling with garden waste:

Compost: even if you don't have a compost bin, you can create your own compost "in situ" by digging a pit or trench in your garden. Compost is a great way to improve soil quality and fertility, saving you money as well as helping the environment. For the best results, combine green waste with brown, carbon-rich sources such as coffee grounds and tea leaves

Mulch: if you're wanting to reduce weed growth and make your flower beds more fertile, you can place grass cuttings and other such waste straight on the beds to keep moisture locked in

Switch to growing vegetables: growing your own vegetables is a great way to cut down your food shopping, and now is the perfect time of year to start sowing in your new veg patch. If you cut back trees or bushes, you can use the stray branches as supports for other plants (in the same way bamboo canes are often used for beans or peas). But if you live in a rented property, please check with your landlord first before digging up the whole lawn!

Let your lawn grow: if you are unable to mulch or compost, the best solution would be to let your lawn grow longer for a while. By creating a "mini meadow" in your garden, you create a better environment for wild flowers and insects, improving biodiversity. You may also find more birds visit your garden as a result of these steps

The SWP said it had not seen a significant rise in fly-tipping since the recycling centres were shut – but said it would be monitoring the situation very closely.

A spokesman said: "Fly-tipping is a crime, and anyone who sees evidence of it should report it to their district council, which will have the power to prosecute.

"The picture is mixed, but across Somerset so far the data doesn't suggest a significant increase in fly tipping since the recycling centres closed.

"But we take this issue very seriously and will be monitoring figures closely with the district councils."

The SWP has also warned residents not to light bonfires following a large number of calls to the fire service about fires which had got out of hand.

District councils have also seen a rise in complaints about "nuisance fires", including those generating black smoke from people allegedly burning plastic or other toxic materials.

SWP managing director Mickey Green said: "We appreciate that this is a difficult period, and it will be frustrating and inconvenient for some.

"But it's important that we don't put additional demand on hard-stretched emergency services and think about the impacts on others."

Laura Pratt, community safety prevention manager for Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Service, added: "When a fire crew is checking a bonfire, it could be delayed from going to a more serious incident elsewhere.

"Particularly at this time, we need to keep our resources ready for real emergencies.

"So we are asking people not to light bonfires and not to contact us to report other people's bonfires unless they are out of control. Always call 999 in an emergency and stay safe."