The call comes as the council launches a new campaign to get everyone to respect their local community spaces – ‘It’s Your Place’.

“It’s your place” will be rolling out over the coming months asking everyone to make sure that they dispose of all their waste in the correct way.

Given ever-tightening council budgets we cannot do it alone. So the campaign hopes to encourage everyone to help keep South Lanarkshire clean.

In the run-up to Christmas, we are focusing on fly-tipping which is always greater at this time of year. After all, Christmas is for giving not for dumping

Not everything needs to be binned. There are plenty of outlets including charity shops, social enterprises or selling sites to help you declutter.

Fly tipping is not just large-scale rural fly tipping. Rubbish dumped outside houses, next to wheelie bins or dropped around or near public litter bins.

These are all illegal activities. Individuals and businesses committing these offences can face fines of up to £40.000. You can report this using our online form.

So please make sure you are putting the right stuff in your wheelie bins.

And if you have additional material that cannot fit into your household bins, please take your excess materials to your nearest household waste and recycling centres. And if that’s not possible you can check out our bulk uplift service.

In January we will collect real Christmas trees for free. If you get a burgundy bin collection you can put your real tree next to your bin. If you don’t get the burgundy bin service then you can request an uplift. And please remember that wrapping paper can go in your blue recycling bin as long as it isn’t foil or glittery paper.

Councillor Robert Brown, the chair of the council’s Community and Enterprise Resources Committee said: “Our teams work hard to keep our communities clear of dumped litter and rubbish and Christmas time is no exception.

“Our ‘It’s your place’ campaign hopes to encourage everyone to take pride in your community and help by not throwing away rubbish. Please always use our road-side bins, your own household bins or our recycling centres. It really is that simple.”

For more information on reporting issues and what you can do to help keep your community clear from waste please go to our Fly-tipping information pages.

Kevin Carr, the head of the council’s Facilities, Waste and Grounds Services, said: “The blight of littering and fly tipping in our communities has grown in recent years especially over the Christmas period.

“But no matter what time of year, or for what reason, fly-tipping continues to cause detrimental impacts on health and wellbeing, the economy, and our natural environment.

“We cannot tackle this problem alone, so, let’s all do our bit to help South Lanarkshire be the place we are all pleased and proud to call home - “It’s your place”.