Scots will throw away enough food to fill 700,000 wheelie bins this Christmas, experts have revealed.

Zero Waste Scotland said more than £90m worth of food will be thrown away over the festive period - equivalent to £38 for every household in the country.

In December alone, Scots are expected to throw away more than 3.5 million mince pies, more than 240,000 Christmas puddings and the equivalent of more than 100,000 turkeys.

Shoppers are now being urged to shop smarter and only buy what will be used in a bid to drive down the amount of food that ends up in the bin.

Ylva Haglund, food waste campaigns manager at Zero Waste Scotland, said: "With all the food most of us buy in the run up to Christmas, this can be a difficult time of year to avoid throwing food out.

"But taking a little bit of time to check your fridge and cupboards and make use of what you already have can save you a lot of money.

"The average household could save £460 a year by putting food to better use - simply by thinking ahead when shopping for meals, freezing extra portions and following recipes to use up any ingredients instead of just buying more."

Since 2009, Scotland's food waste has been cut by 6% but ministers want to drive the number down much further.

Environment secretary Roseanna Cunningham said: "At Christmas it can be tempting to buy - and therefore waste - more food.

"But with a little preparation people can save money and be kinder to the environment.

"In Scotland we are working towards a 33% reduction in food waste by 2025. That's the most ambitious target in Europe, and everyone in Scotland has an important part to play in helping the country achieve that goal."