Festive eating, drinking and goodwill are all key ingredients for a brilliant Christmas celebration - but they also equate to about three million tonnes of waste across the UK every year.

In fact, it is thought that one billion Christmas cards, 750 million bottles and glass containers, 500 million drinks cans and seven and a half million Christmas trees are used over the holiday period.

It is also estimated that as much as 83sq km of wrapping paper will end up in UK rubbish bins - enough to cover an area larger than Guernsey or Brighton!

"The festive season is always about excess but it is perfectly possible to have a great time and to give meaningful presents that won't cost the earth," explains Penny Poyzer, eco-expert and television presenter. Festivities can pile on the pounds in your rubbish bin, but by following these recycling tips you can help keep your rubbish slimline.

FOOD & DRINK

According to Recycle Now, the national recycling campaign for England, around 125,000 tonnes of plastic packaging are thrown away over Christmas - the equivalent weight of more than 50,000 polar bears!

"It's amazing how much rubbish we generate over the holidays, but it is even more amazing when you see how much of it we can recycle - a massive 75% of our household waste could be reused," says Recycle Now spokeswoman Julie Brown. Saying no to unwanted carrier bags will also help; Julie recommends keeping a 'bag for life' for every time you visit the shops.

When stocking up the Christmas larder, Penny believes buying local produce can make a real difference to the environment.

"Your Christmas lunch could have travelled more than 26,000 miles to reach your plate. That's a lot of air miles and tonnes of carbon dioxide," she says. "If you want home-grown organic ingredients for meals, local farm shops, markets or box schemes are all better sources than supermarkets."

In Herefordshire, we are really spoilt for choice when it comes to local food suppliers. To start you off, try www.heff.co.uk.

Buy drinks in large containers, rather than lots of small ones. A large bottle means less waste and is more economical. Buying loose vegetables will also cut surplus packaging - and don't forget composting.

PRESENTS

"Each year more than 680 million batteries are bought in the UK, but just 5% are rechargeable so, where possible, try to avoid presents that rely on disposable parts," Penny advises. "Pass unwanted gifts to the nearest charity shop, hospital, play centre or school. For people who have everything, buy a gift on their behalf for someone who hasn't." Charities such as Oxfam provide some great gift schemes of this type. Ask at your nearest branch - you could end up buying a toilet! Look out for recycled products such as tableware and cushions. The Recycled Products Guide (www.recycledproducts.org.uk) lists products made from recycled materials..

CARDS & WRAPPING PAPER

There are now schemes specifically aimed at recycling Christmas cards but, at the very least, you can always take them to your nearest paper bank. "Send electronic or recycled cards, choose decorations and wrappings that can be reused, make gift tags from old cards or use wool, string or ribbon to tie presents up," advises Penny. "Get your children to make ornaments out of things you have in the house or from materials they find like twigs, and pine cones."

TREES

More than six million trees are bought last year, most of which were thrown away. Contact your local authority to see if it has a Christmas tree recycling scheme for chipping trees, which can be used in the production of garden or park mulch. Or see what John Munday, of Festive Forestry at Brilley, has to say in his article on page 96.

"Artificial trees are difficult to recycle, so buy a real tree with roots and plant it ready for next year," suggests Penny. "Or get some twigs, dress with tinsel and baubles and, when you've finished, put it in the compost. If everyone made a few changes, the difference could be remarkable. We really need to give the planet a bit of a holiday at Christmas!"