What's the most eco-friendly Christmas tree?
When it comes to Christmas trees, there are many lines along which we stand divided. Does tinsel feature, or do you have a strict ornaments-only decoration policy? Do you have a colour scheme or theme, or do you find a festive free-for-all more jolly? And then, of course, there’s the biggie: when do you put up your Christmas tree?
For three fifths (62%) of Good Housekeeping readers, the tree goes up some time in December, with a daring few (2%) leaving it until Christmas Eve and an eager 7% trimming the tree in November. On the other side of the festivities, the vast majority (73%) leave their tree up until the New Year or beyond.
For the environmentally-minded amongst us, there is another pressing question to try and find an answer to: is a real or an artificial Christmas tree a more sustainable choice?
While we can’t answer the first three questions for you, we can shed some light on the environmental impact that the Christmas tree you choose is likely to have.
Is a real Christmas tree better for the environment?
Not necessarily. When it comes to choosing a more eco-friendly Christmas tree, there’s no definitive answer to what the best option is and many key factors to bear in mind.
Artificial Christmas trees
If reducing the carbon emissions that contribute to climate change is your main priority, an artificial Christmas tree could be a better option than buying a real, commercially grown tree each year, according to The Carbon Trust. For this to be the case, though, you’d need to reuse it every year for at least seven years and potentially for as long as two decades, depending on its size and the materials it’s made from.
In terms of waste, though, artificial Christmas trees are problematic. As they’re made using a number of different materials, they can’t be recycled. If you opt to fake it, then, it makes sense to buy the best quality tree you can afford and to use it for as long as possible.
If you have an artificial tree you no longer want, see if a local charity shop will accept it – if it's resold, this will extend its life.
You should also bear in mind where an artificial Christmas tree been manufactured. If it’s been shipped from the other side of the world, the emissions associated with its transport will add to its carbon footprint.
Real, cut Christmas trees
If you buy a real Christmas tree each year, you should ideally try to find one that has been grown slowly without the use of synthetic fertilizers and as locally to you as possible. Opting for a tree certified by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) is also a better choice, environmentally-speaking, as it shows it has been grown in woodland that’s managed in a more sustainable way.
Forestry England has Christmas tree sales centres across the country and all its Norway spruce trees are certified by both the FSC and Grown in Britain. Choosing a Grown in Britain-certified tree can help to reduce the risk of unwanted pests spreading to this country and helps protects that nation's forests.
You’ll also need to give careful thought to how you dispose of a real, cut Christmas tree as this will have a significant impact on how eco-friendly it is. There's more information on this below.
Real, potted Christmas tree
If you buy a tree in a pot to reuse, the tree can keep on growing and absorbing carbon, whether that's in a pot or outdoors.
Alternatively, you can rent a potted tree through schemes near you. For example, Rentalclaus.com delivers in and around Cheltenham and Gloucester while with Londonchristmastreerental.com you collect and return the tree to and from its hubs in South London. Expect to pay around £65-£75 to rent a 6ft tree.
What's the most eco-friendly way to get rid of a real tree after Christmas?
What you do with a real, cut Christmas tree once the festivities are over has a huge impact on its overall carbon footprint.
Burning
A real tree absorbs carbon from the atmosphere as it grows. If you dispose of a cut tree at the end of the festive season by burning it (providing you can do so safely), this stored carbon is released back into the atmosphere, so the tree hasn’t added to the amount of carbon in the environment.
Chipping
Chipping a cut tree and spreading it on the garden is another good way of disposing of it. The Carbon Trust estimates this can reduce its overall carbon footprint by as much as 80%.
Recycling
If you can’t dispose of a real, cut Christmas tree by either burning or chipping it yourself, take it to a recycling drop-off point.
Search for a recycling centre near you that accepts real Christmas trees using the Recycle Now Local Recycling search tool or check the information from your local authority about changes to your bin collections over the Christmas period – if there's a drop-off point in your neighbourhood or a scheduled collection, the details will likely be found here. Trees collected via your local authority are most likely to be turned into chippings for use as ground cover in local spaces, or composted.
What you want to avoid at all costs, however, is a real tree ending up in landfill. If it does, it's likely to give off methane (a much more damaging greenhouse gas than carbon dioxide) as it decomposes in the conditions there.
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