Amount of waste thrown out at Christmas 'unacceptable' - polls finds

Half of Britons would be happy to receive unwrapped Christmas presents to slash the amount of waste generated during the festive season, a poll has found.

More than two-thirds of people (69%) said the quantity of rubbish thrown out is unacceptable, according to the survey by FlyResearch for Sky Ocean Rescue.

Of the more than 2,000 people surveyed across the UK, 46% said they would rather receive a digital Christmas greeting such as a text, email or social media message.

Around 84% of consumers voiced concerns about the amount of plastic packaging used on gifts.

A quarter of people (23%) said they were too busy during the period to worry about how much plastic they were using, and 22% claimed there was too much waste in their homes over Christmas to be able to recycle it.

The campaign aims to raise awareness of plastic pollution in the world's seas, urging consumers to think twice about using single-use plastics and to use wrapping paper that can be recycled.

The research found that Britons will use an estimated 300 million plastic straws and cups at Christmas parties this year, while 86% plan to take the time to recycle their household waste during this time of year.

Around 37% mistakenly believe that Christmas cards with glitter can be recycled and 60% are incorrectly planning to recycle shiny or glittery wrapping paper.

Campaigner and model Jodie Kidd said: "The stats about how much single-use plastic is used at Christmas are alarming but there are small, simple behaviour changes that can make a big difference.

"For starters, say no to straws and plastic cups when you're celebrating this Christmas.

"As a pub owner, banning plastic straws and cups was one of the first decisions I made.

"The small things we can all do can help make all the difference to protect the health of our beautiful oceans, so be an Ocean Hero this Christmas and say no to single-use plastics."

Sky group chief executive Jeremy Darroch said: "Over two-thirds of us know that we generate an unacceptable amount of waste at Christmas so let's do something about it and start by saying no to single-use plastics."

:: Sky has been running a campaign to make people more aware of the effect plastic has on the world's oceans and to share ways of tackling the problem. To get involved in Sky Ocean Rescue, visit the campaign website here. You can also watch our documentary, A Plastic Voyage.