1.It's estimated we will create more than three million tonnes of rubbish this Christmas in Britain. More than half of this could be recycled, so please use your nearest recycling facility, or recycle on your doorstep via your council collection. To find out more about recycling services in Cumbria, use the link at the bottom of the page.

2.Plastic and cardboard packaging from presents can often be recycled at your civic amenity site or kerbside facility - so think before throwing it away!

3.Compost is great for the garden. Start your own compost heap this Christmas with all your vegetable peelings from Christmas dinner and by next Christmas, you'll have free nutritious compost to help make your garden bloom.

4.Be careful with your Christmas food planning. On average we waste around 80% more perfectly good food over the festive season.

5. Make use of your kerbside facility and/or bring site and recycle all the jars, bottles and cans that you use over the festive period

6.Make a New Year's resolution that you can keep this year - recycle more stuff, more often! Kerbside collection and civic amenity sites are making recycling even easier so you have a good chance at sticking with it!

7.To make room for all your children's new toys take last year's to your local youth club or to the charity shop where they will be given a good home.

8.Make room for this season's latest trends by clearing out your wardrobe and taking unwanted clothes to the textile collection point at bring-sites and supermarket car parks or your local charity shop.

9.Create a talking point this Christmas with glasses made from recycled Grolsh bottles, these and lots of other great recycled Christmas gift ideas can be found on the recycle now website, the link is at the bottom of the page.

10.CD's, books and shoes can be recycled at most supermarket recycling facilities - so make room for your new presents by recycling your old ones!

11.Over eight million real Christmas trees will be bought this year, most of which will be thrown away. If you chose a real tree this year, contact your local DIY retailer or garden centre to see if they are running recycling schemes - lots of them do.

12.Consider your Christmas cards and send a greener greeting.