‘A Christmas tree is for life not just for Christmas’ is a project focusing on the environmental impact of Christmas trees and the way that they are disposed of. The single use nature of Christmas trees, both real and plastic, is something that many are reluctant to consider.
Christmas tree farms are monocultures, meaning that the farms are made up of a high density of a single species. Monocultures are susceptible to disease and parasites, which can only be treated with environmentally damaging pesticides. The trees are harvested after six to ten years, cut at the trunk to prevent regrowth or replanting, and will gradually die over the Christmas period.
Once Christmas is over and the decorations are brought down, farmed trees will likely be disposed of. Tree disposal can create a significant environmental footprint. One of the least sustainable disposal options is landfill, as the conditions release methane into the atmosphere. Methane is a greenhouse gas with warming properties 80 times more potent than carbon dioxide (CO2). Real Christmas trees have an average carbon footprint of 3.5kg of CO2 if they are disposed of in a bonfire, landfill disposal increases this by four times – to 16kg of CO2. Farmed Christmas tree can be disposed of more sustainably through chipping and using as fertiliser, or composting.
Plastic trees are manufactured using fossil fuels and harmful chemical dyes. These trees are typically shipped across the world from China, resulting in an increase in carbon emissions. The type of plastic that they are made from is not recyclable and will generally be disposed of through landfill or incineration. Unlike real trees, which will degrade and decompose, plastic trees can be used year after year and stored safely. According to the Carbon Trust, a two metre artificial tree has a carbon footprint more than ten times of that of a real tree that was burned after Christmas.
In order to negate the carbon footprint of a plastic tree, it would have to be reused ten times. On average fake trees are only reused four times.
If a real Christmas tree is still able to root, for example ones sold in a pot, it can be replanted and cared for until next Christmas. A potted Christmas tree offers a solution that benefits the environment as well as your wallet.
Consider cutting your environmental impact this Christmas by sourcing either a local tree, an organic tree that hasn’t been treated with pesticides, or an FSC Certified tree. Christmas trees with a ‘Grown in Britain’ certificate guarantee that the tree won’t have been imported, helping to reduce your carbon footprint as much as possible. If you prefer an artificial tree, you could buy one second hand to save it from landfill, or to make sure to reuse your plastic tree year after year after year.
Give the earth a gift this Christmas, think sustainably and protect your environment.
