Bath and North East Somerset Council is asking residents to think carefully about the amount of packaging and other items they throw away.

It is thought that of the three million tonnes of rubbish expected to be created in Britain this Christmas, almost 90% will be thrown away.

But the council says more than half of it could be recycled.

This Christmas we will throw away: 150,000,000 Christmas cards 83 square miles of wrapping paper 24 million mincemeat and cranberry sauce jars

Councillor Rosemary Todd said: "With all the hectic activity at Christmas time along with all the presents and festivities, we throw away more than at any other time in the year.

"It is estimated we will create three million tonnes of rubbish in Britain this Christmas - that's the equivalent of 400,000 double-decker buses - parked bumper to bumper, they'd stretch from Bath to Lapland and back again!"

Cllr Todd appealed to people to use the green box recycling scheme to avoid rubbish being dumped into landfill sites.

Leaflets advising residents of changes to the council's refuse collection services have been distributed across the area.