Brits are set to produce enough cardboard waste this Christmas that if it were placed end to end, it would stretch from London to Lapland and back 103 times.

The UK’s paper and cardboard recycling rate is already among the lowest in Europe, with Brits ranking 25th out of 30 European nations at just 74%, compared to the European average of 82%.

And while the festive season is filled with family, presents and lots of decorations, there’s another side of the story too: much more rubbish, especially packaging waste, in the home.

Much of this waste – such as Christmas cards and wrapping paper – is made of paper and card, and is therefore recyclable, but confusion is leading to much of it ending up in landfill or incineration.

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According to a recent DS Smith report, 17.3 million tonnes of cardboard and paper packaging waste is expected to end up in landfill and incineration by 2030 – or two out of every five pieces of paper and cardboard.

But tackling this problem isn’t impossible, with DS Smith’s Samantha Upham sharing her top ten tips for recycling the most common festive items to help us all be a little more sustainable this Christmas.

These include around Christmas cards, packaging tape, gift wrapping paper, ribbons and food and drink.

She said: “The best thing to do with Christmas cards is to avoid buying cards with glitter, plastic or electrical components at all, as these are very tricky to recycle.

“It’s a big help for recyclers if you remove as much tape as possible from your packaging before you put it in the bin, while try scrunching your wrapping paper into a ball before you dispose of it.

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“And why not keep your ribbons from the gifts you receive or are given in your home and reuse them for another gift in the future?

“Rinse out your cans, glass bottles and plastic containers before putting them in the recycling bin, while for paper and cardboard, ensure any food residue is scraped off as much as possible and the papers aren’t significantly soaked with grease or oils.”

Christmas crackers, decorated boxes, Christmas trees, recycling bins and unwanted gifts are also areas where Brits can be more responsible.

Upham added: “For a more sustainable Christmas cracker, why not invest in some reusable crackers?

“And why not give old boxes a second life before they go to recycling by repurposing them?

“Local councils and other organisations offer a tree recycling service post-Christmas, while bring your recycling to your local point and they’ll dispose of it.

“Keep unwanted gifts for someone else’s birthday or future Christmas gift – or donate it to charity so it can be sold on.”