From the Telegraph (see article)

So great is the British passion for cards and the wrapping of gifts with elaborate ribbons and bows that each Christmas we collectively throw away 226,800 miles of wrapping paper, which is enough to stretch nine times around the world.

Other waste includes 125,000 tons of plastic wrapping and 10 million items of turkey packaging.

Twenty-five million Christmas pudding packages are also thrown out.

The Government wants to cut the waste produced at Christmas because it costs millions of pounds to dispose of. Today, ministers are holding a summit to encourage retailers and manufacturers to cut the millions of tons of packaging generated during the festive season.

One idea to be discussed is a law that has been introduced in Sweden, giving customers the right to return used packaging to the shops where they bought their goods.