The card recycling initiative is held annually in conjunction with retailers WH Smith and Tesco.

Launched in 1995, PaperChain's objective is to increase the amount of paper and board recovered and recycled in the UK.

PaperChain director Kathy Bradley said the longevity of the christmas card campaign was due to its popularity among the British public.

This year, the national "Recycle Now" campaign is also lending its support to the scheme, which encourages the public to recycle their christmas cards.

Dedicated recycling bins will be situated in WH Smith high street stores and all Tesco Extra and superstores until 31 January.

Last year the scheme recycled 58m Christmas cards and this year's target is 60m.