The big day is almost here, and many residents across Dorset will be prepping all day today to make sure they're ready to host Christmas with their families tomorrow.

Vegetables will be peeled, presents will be wrapped and cards will be written, but we're being urged to think about how we can make our festive period a little more eco friendly when it comes to waste this year.

Waste clearance company Enviro Waste has collated a list of statistics on Christmas waste in the UK - and the figures may shock you...

- Royal Mail delivers around 150 million cards and packets during the pre-Christmas period. It's estimated that one billion cards could end up in the bin after December 25

- 83 square kilometres of wrapping paper will be thrown out or burnt – enough to gift-wrap the island of Jersey

- 125,000 tonnes of plastic packaging will be thrown out, rather than recycled

- Six million trees are thrown out after Christmas, creating more than 9,000 tonnes of additional waste

- Turkey isn't safe - this Christmas, residents will cook around 6,711 tonnes of fresh turkey, and 12,472 tonnes of frozen turkey

- And the turkey needs wrapping too – around 4,200 tonnes of aluminium foil gets thrown away every Christmas in the UK

How could we be more green this Christmas?

Wrapping Paper

Enviro Waste suggests breathing new life into wrapping paper by shredding it and using it as protective packaging around future gifts - or use it as a cleaning cloth for windows and mirrors, to get them streak-free.

Christmas Cards

Cut out the pattern on your Christmas cards to use as gift tags on your presents next year, rather than heading straight for the paper recycling bin. You could even turn your old cards into baubles or Christmas decorations for next year.

Christmas Trees

Many council-run tips shred used Christmas trees to make ground-cover that is used in public parks. If you can’t get to the tip with your tree, you could even strip the branches yourself and use the pine needles as unique potpourri.

Turkey

There are plenty of ways to use leftover turkey (not just in sandwiches)! Use larger lumps in a curry with parsnips or chickpeas, and use smaller strips in a risotto. You can also make a stock with the bones and leftovers.

(Information courtesy of Enviro Waste)