Most of us love the twinkle of lights among the branches of a Christmas tree, but the dilemma facing tree buyers is whether to go for a traditional tree and risk picking pine needles out of your socks in July or opt for one of the increasingly ‘real’ looking trees in the shops? Which option is best for the planet? Let’s break it down a bit.
Fortunately, the Carbon Trust has done some research on this which might help us with our decision. They found that a 2m plastic tree has a carbon footprint of approximately 40kg of CO2.
A real tree of 2m, if it ends its days slowly decomposing in a landfill site, releases 16kg of CO2
But the good news is that if you opt for collection by the local council or by one of the many charities who will also collect from your house for a small fee, then the carbon footprint reduces to 3.5kg!
To reiterate that’s 40kg, 16kg or 3.5 kg. A huge difference and one that you can use to decide.
A man-made tree will be produced from carbon intensive fuels; the majority are made of PVC or polyethylene. Most come from China with the subsequent increase in carbon footprint. Their ultimate destination will of course be landfill, where their slow decomposition will take over 500 years and release microplastics into the soil. Or they will find their way to the Council incinerator, so if you have a plastic tree, keep using it until such time as you might ‘fancy a change’ and then consider the other options.
A real tree can be disposed of by burning if you have the means (note – if burning in a stove the tree should be allowed to fully dry out over a year or so). Those collected by councils and charities are chipped and used for garden mulch or compost. This process speeds up the decomposition process.
So, on balance, it’s well worth considering a locally grown ‘real tree’ which will have been grown for approximately ten years before it is cut, will have provided wildlife habitat and environmental benefits and which will decompose back into the earth when you have finished with it!
Happy Christmas from the Plastic Free Axminster team!
