About 45 million cards were recycled in the UK last year

The aim is to top the 12,500 tonnes recycled this time last year. The cards will be taken to paper mills and turned into new paper products.

Lincs-based charity the Woodland Trust is asking people to recycle their cards after the Christmas period, rather than throwing them away.

It has joined up with Lincs County Council to put in collection points in county branches of WH Smith and Tesco.

Last year, some 45m cards were collected and recycled by the scheme nationally, which helped the Woodland Trust to save 15,000 trees.

The project coincides with a television campaign across the East Midlands encouraging people to recycle.

Some 15 councils, including Lincolnshire, are involved in the campaign featuring a talking dustbin.

The county council hopes the campaign will encourage people to use kerbside recycling facilities and recycling centres.

The county's current recycling rate is just over 25% and officers want to raise this to 40%.