Why Could Plastic Christmas Trees Be More Sustainable Than Real Trees?
Christmas is approaching, and we wanted to talk about one of the most common areas of plastic use during this season. It is easy to assume that plastic tree alternatives are likely to be the less sustainable option, however, it may surprise you that this isn’t necessarily the case.
While using a real pine tree is more of a natural way to start your Christmas decorations, it has been proven that purchasing a plastic tree could be the more sustainable option.
Why Choose a Plastic Tree?
While plastic Christmas trees require more energy to produce, these trees can be used for a number of years instead of being replaced each festive season.
However, one of the sticking points in this research is that your tree should be recyclable if it’s made of plastic. A lot of the trees on the market aren’t made of recycled materials so although you may be using your tree for longer, when you do choose to get rid of your faux tree, the sustainability issues will occur.
However, there are a growing number of manufacturers who are beginning to produce artificial Christmas trees that can be reused after disposal so they won’t end up in a landfill. Good news if you’re looking to be more sustainable at the most wonderful time of the year!
What is Unsustainable About Real Christmas Trees?
This may be a surprise to many of you, but real Christmas trees aren’t actually that sustainable and may actually be worse for the environment than plastic trees. This, however is dependant on a few factors.
Across the UK, 7 million real Christmas trees are discarded in January every year. People assume that this is not a problem as they’re just trees and can degrade naturally, but this isn’t as true as you may have first thought.
Christmas trees like the Norway Spruce and the Nordmann Fir contain thousands of pine needles which take a long time to decompose in comparison to other leaves.
While they eventually will decompose, they still release a large amount of greenhouse gas into the atmosphere during this process which contributes to climate change. This is due to the fact that 85% of pine needles are made out of a polymer called lignocellulose which requires a high quantity of energy to break down.
The Carbon Trust has identified that a 2m tall, real Christmas tree is equivalent to 16kg of carbon dioxide if they end up in landfill which, unfortunately, most do.
Each year 1 million Christmas trees are used for compost; however, it’s best to avoid this as the decomposed pine needles make the soil acidic, due to their low pH levels.
Many people who purchase real Christmas trees year on year are unaware of this and continue to use their trees for compost production year on year.
The disadvantages of having a real Christmas tree over a fake one or largely unknown, so before taking a trip down to your local garden centre this month, think twice about which option is best for you and best for the environment.
Consider a recycled plastic Christmas tree and make the investment now to not only help the environment but also your bank balance for next Christmas and the next when you can reuse your tree.