The call comes as part of the council’s ongoing campaign – ‘It’s Your Place’ – which encourages everyone to respect their local community spaces by keeping South Lanarkshire clean. 

In the run-up to Christmas the more the gifts for loved ones the more the wrapping and packaging that needs to be disposed of. 

Not everything needs to be binned though. There are plenty of outlets including charity shops, social enterprises or selling sites to help you declutter old clothes, toys and other unwanted items to make space.

The council has a wide range of services to help ensure waste can be disposed of responsibly and legally. 

So please make sure you are putting the right stuff in your wheelie bins. 

Residents should remember that plastic coated wrapping papers/ glittery papers aren’t recyclable. Other types of wrapping paper can go in your blue recycling bin as long as it isn’t foil or glittery paper. 

And if you have additional material that cannot fit into your household bins, please take your excess materials to your nearest household waste and recycling centres. And if that’s not possible you can check out our bulk uplift service. 

Zero Waste Scotland also has some great ideas about what to do with all the extra stuff we all generate at this time of the year. And please think about how much food you are buying and potentially wasting – we can all tackle food waste and save time and money. 

In January we will collect real Christmas trees for free. If you get a burgundy bin collection you can put your real tree next to your bin. If you don’t get the burgundy bin service then you can request a bulk uplift. 

Councillor Robert Brown, the chair of the council’s Community and Enterprise Resources Committee said: “Our teams work hard all year round to remove dumped litter and rubbish from our communities. 

“But Christmas time puts additional pressures on our teams so we are asking everyone to continue to take pride in their area at this time of year as part of our ongoing ‘It’s your place’ campaign. 

“Just make sure you dispose of all your festive rubbish in the correct household bins, our road-side bins and our recycling centres. It really is that simple.” 

For more information on reporting issues and what you can do to help keep your community clear from waste please go to our Fly-tipping information pages. 

Kevin Carr, the head of the council’s Facilities, Waste and Grounds Services, said: “Disposing of household waste correctly continues to be an issue, especially at Christmas time. 

“The council cannot tackle this problem alone. So, let’s all do our bit to help South Lanarkshire be the place we are all pleased and proud to call home - “It’s your place”.