The Refill Shop of Ikigai in St Ives has 10 top tips to help people have their most sustainable Christmas ever this year.

According to statistics by GWP Group, we waste so much during the festive season - from food and drink to paper and even money!

Martin Cooper from The Refill Shop of Ikigai said: "The equivalent of 4.2 million Christmas dinners are wasted each year, with too much food being bought and not eaten - that's a crazy amount of food!

The Hunts Post: Threads and TapeThreads and Tape (Image: Martin Cooper)

"And it's not just the food - it's the water, energy, packaging and the mileage that goes into getting that food to our table."

The statistics are also shocking when we look at wrapping paper, Christmas cards and plastic tape - we throw away the equivalent of 108 million rolls of wrapping paper each year, as not all of it can be recycled due to glitter or a laminated coating, and 40 million rolls of sticky tape are used.

As if that wasn't enough, it's estimated that £42 million of unwanted gifts will end up in landfill, as we buy things for people for the sake of it.

Martin added: "It's estimated that we create 30% more waste during the festive season than at any other time of the year, but there are some easy things we can do to make our Christmas less wasteful and more sustainable and we have come up with 10 top tips to help.

The Hunts Post: Reusable bowl cover to replace plastic cling film on your christmas dinnerReusable bowl cover to replace plastic cling film on your christmas dinner (Image: Martin Cooper)

"If everyone tries to do just one thing, it will all help to make this Christmas as eco-friendly as we can."

The Refill Shop of Ikigai, based in St Ives, is open six days a week and offers refills and eco household items to help reduce our impact on the planet.

Top 10 tips:-

1.) Wrap your gifts in fabric or furoshiki cloths - and it and it's not rude to ask for them back!

2.)Only buy the food you need - avoid large packets you only need small amounts of by using your local refill shop

3.)Chose recycled and recyclable Christmas cards - or send e-cards instead

4.) Cover leftovers with reusable bowl covers or wax wraps rather than plastic cling film

5.)Use reusable metal or bamboo straws in your festive drinks

6.) Keep any jars and bottles you have bought products in and wash them out to use for refills or storage

7.)Use a compostable sponge or cloth for your Christmas washing up - and make sure your washing up liquid is refilled in advance

8.)Only buy food you like to eat - not because you think it's tradition - love them or loathe them, 17.2 million sprouts are wasted every year

9.) Rather than buy something for the sake of it, buy a gift voucher - that way they can buy something they want

10.) Use compostable paper tape or twine to wrap your gifts, rather than plastic tape and ribbon