19 December 2011 Last updated at 01:14 ET

Boris Johnson makes London Christmas recycling plea

London Mayor Boris Johnson has challenged people in the city to recycle over the Christmas period to save councils a total of £2.7m.

The Recycle for London's Nice Save campaign said recycling prevents local boroughs paying landfill charges.

It said it costs 25% more to dispose of rubbish that is not recycled.

Backing the campaign, Mr Johnson said: "If you are pondering a worthy new year's resolution, make it to help us become a less wasteful city."

Over the two weeks of Christmas and New Year, it is estimated London households will generate an extra 29,000 tonnes of rubbish.

An estimated 2,000 tonnes of glass is thrown out in the capital over the festive period.

The Conservative mayor said: 'If we all recycle the discarded trappings of Christmas we can save our councils a whopping £2.7m, which could instead be spent wisely elsewhere."

Recycle for London is funded through the government via the London Waste and Recycling Board.