Getting rid of Christmas rubbish could cost local councils £78 million, research has suggested.
The Local Government Association said authorities in England and Wales expected to deal with three million tonnes of waste over the festive period.
Up to two-thirds of this could end up in landfill, which costs councils £40 per tonne in tax to the Government. The LGA urged householders to recycle as much as possible and compost fruit and vegetable waste.
Chairman of the LGA Environment Board Gary Porter said: "Christmas is a time for having fun and relaxing with the family but all the tin foil from the turkeys, plastic toy packaging and wilting Christmas trees can create lots of rubbish.
"By the end of the holidays, many households could face a mountain of waste, but this doesn't have to be the case. It's important that people don't buy more food than they really need and try to throw less away in the first place.
"People can help by recycling as much as possible. The more people recycle, the less money councils have to pay in landfill tax and the more they can spend on other services, like care for the elderly."
Councils expect to deal with 230,000 tonnes of food waste, 25,000 tonnes of plastic packaging, 20,000 tonnes of Christmas cards and 10,000 tonnes of wrapping paper.
Mr Porter added: "Toy makers, food companies and supermarkets should be doing their bit by cutting unnecessary packaging so less rubbish ends up in people's bins in the first place.
"If the producers of rubbish were made more responsible for what they produce, householders would be able to cut what they throw away and save council taxpayers' money. All those presents, beer cans and food wrappers quickly add up.
"Freezing leftovers, composting and recycling are all simple ways people can help the environment and save themselves money. People are already keen to recycle their rubbish and these figures remind us why it's important to do even more."
