An additional three million tonnes of waste is usually created by households at Christmas, but BCP Council is hoping to reduce this.

If you know your bin collection days over the festive period this will reduce the number of cars on the road making unnecessary trips to the recycling centres.

Across Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole, the rubbish, recycling and food waste collections will continue as normal over the festive period with collection crews out collecting as usual on the Bank Holidays including Monday 27 and Tuesday 28 December and Monday 3 January. All residents need to remember to put their bins out by 5am on their usual collection day. Check your bin day online.

However, if residents do have any extra rubbish or recycling, this can be taken to one of the three Recycling Centres across the conurbation – Millhams, Longham; Wilverley Road, Christchurch; or Nuffield, Poole. All sites are open every day except Christmas Day, Boxing Day and New Year’s Day.

Christmas trees can also be recycled in a sustainable fashion through local charities Diverse Abilities and Lewis Manning, who can collect and dispose of them for a small fee.

Cllr Mark Anderson, portfolio holder for Environment and Place said: “Reducing, reusing and recycling is so important for everyone to take on board, and is just one of the many ways everyone can play their part in helping fight the climate and ecological emergency we’re all facing. As a council we’re committed to creating a more sustainable environment and it’s lots of small changes that help to make a big difference.

“My thanks go out to the collection crews who will be collecting over the bank holidays, on the usual collection days, to ensure everyone has a great, rubbish-free Christmas,”

For sustainable gift ideas, the council’s ‘new to you’ reclaim shop at Cabot Lane Depot in Poole is a treasure trove of delights. Not only can you find a bargain, but the shop also helps disadvantaged local people who are in need of the basic essential items required to set up a home and for day to day living. It’s open on Saturday mornings from 9-1pm. Good quality items for reuse can be donated to the new to you shop at Millhams or Nuffield recycling centres.

Here are some top tips for reducing and recycling that will help make Christmas a green one for everyone:

• Avoid over-packaged gifts, swapping to a brand that uses less packaging
• Buy your festive vegetables loose or take a reusable vegetable bag
• Avoid single use or disposable items like cutlery and plates
• Use natural decorations such as ivy, fir cones, mistletoe and holly
• Buy rechargeable batteries for all your children’s toys and electrical goods
• Start your own compost heap with your Christmas dinner vegetable peelings
• Recycle your mulled wine bottles, mince pie wrappers and sweet tins.