'Please think about the environment when buying presents this year'
Three per cent of recycling collected in Somerset last year was sent abroad to be dealt with - and bosses want to reduce that even further this year.
You may have carboard still lying around after Black Friday and ahead of Christmas there's a plea to think differently when shopping across Somerset.
The council say they're braced for an extra 682 tonnes of cardboard being thrown out in January - and warn they'll struggle to deal with it.
They're urging people to be mindful of levels packaging when choosing gifts and say experience vouchers or items from the high street are often better for the environment.
Cllr Dixie Darch Executive Lead Member for Environment and Climate Change said: “Recycling is great and helps to protect the environment, but avoiding waste – such as additional packaging - is even better.
"If we think local we can all help to reduce the amount of waste we produce.
"As our habits for shopping online continue, the amount of cardboard in our recycling continues to rise.
"Each January the amount of cardboard collected rises, seeing as much as an extra 682 tonnes - a whopping 44% increase.
"This rise not only means more waste to recycle, but it fills the trucks more quickly meaning extra trips to the depot, adding to every parcels' overall carbon footprint."
Somerset Council and SUEZ make more than 350,000 collections a week.