LANCASHIRE residents are being urged to go green as the Christmas clean-up begins.

Every household in Lancashire produces around one tonne of rubbish every year -- the equivalent of every home throwing away 2,410 cans of beans.

Now council bosses want locals to recycle their Christmas trees and festive cards.

Lancashire County Council is offering advice to people on how to do their bit such as recycling bottles, cans and papers and giving old clothes and toys to charity shops.

County Councillor Brian Johnson, cabinet member for Community and Regeneration, said: "We all produce rubbish every day of our lives and quite often throw it away without a second thought.

"Unfortunately in Lancashire we are producing more and more rubbish and running out of ways to dispose of it.

"This means we all need to think about how we can make a difference by reducing the rubbish we produce, recycling it, reusing it or disposing of it more responsibly." In Blackburn with Darwen a competition is being run by the Tidy Britain Group, now known as Encams, to reward the best Christmas tree recycling schemes.

Stuart Hammond, Blackburn with Darwen's recycling officer, believes the borough has a good chance if residents support them.

He said: "Every shop selling Christmas trees has been given posters promoting when and where we are collecting trees."

Every year, the council chops up many of the 12,000 Christmas trees bought over the festive period to use later in the year on flower beds. Mr Hammond added: "They are awkward and expensive for the council to dispose of and can damage refuse vehicles.

"Help to spruce up the environment for the new millennium by turning over a new leaf."

Collection points will open on January 2 and remain in place until January 13.

Sites include Pleasington Playing Fields, Blackburn,Charles Street, Darwen, Barlow Institute, Edgworth and the Black Dog pub car park, Belmont.

Permanent recycling skips for trees will be placed at the Household Waste and Recycling Centres in George Street West, Blackburn and Springvale Road, Darwen.

House collections can also be arranged by calling 01254 585921 before January 11.

The council is also aiming to recycle 100,000 Christmas cards. Residents are asked to put non-foil or plastic cards into the regular white bags used for recycling.

Mr Hammond said: "TV guides and home shopping catalogues can also be put in the bags as well as those TV guides and those home shopping catalogues.

About five million Christmas cards are thrown away in the borough every year only four weeks after they are bought.

For more information, call the helpline on 01254 585050.