‘Tis the season to be jolly, which means there will be more eating, drinking and celebrating than usual. However, it’s not just waist-lines that increase at Christmas.

In the UK alone, this festive season will generate an extra three million tonnes of waste from food and drink packaging, Christmas trees, Christmas cards, wrapping paper and maybe even a few unwanted presents!

By planning ahead the Environment Agency says you can ensure your concerns for the environment are not thrown away along with the wrapping paper and the dead Christmas tree.

Here are some shocking festive statistics:

• Christmas will create 3 million extra tonnes of rubbish, but only 12 percent will be re-cycled.
• More than 80 square kilometres of wrapping paper and 125,000 tonnes of plastic packaging will end up in UK bins - enough to cover an area larger than Guernsey.
• Last year over 6 million Christmas trees were bought creating over 9,000 tonnes additional rubbish - enough waste to fill the Albert Hall three times.
• An extra 750 million bottles and glass containers and 500 million aluminium and steel drink cans are used over the festive period.
• A typical Christmas dinner with imported ingredients travels some 24,000 miles, compared to 376 miles for similarly ingredients bought at a UK farmers’ market.

"Set up a simple system for your festive recycling and shop locally for Christmas foods and gifts," said Richard Cresswell for the Environment Agency. "This way everyone can help reduce the environmental impact of their celebrations and have a merry green Christmas."

The Environment Agency also has some great ideas for last minute gifts such as sustainable presents made from recycled or reclaimed materials, buying antiques or household items from reclamation yards and auctions or even giving a tree (see www.woodlandtrust.org.uk).