IDEAS FOR ECO FRIENDLY CHRISTMAS TREES
CHRISTMAS TREES - THE FACTS
7 million Christmas trees are discarded in the UK every year.
That’s the equivalent of 250 tonnes of Christmas trees thrown away unnecessarily, often ending up in landfill.
IDEAS FOR ECO FRIENDLY CHRISTMAS TREES
ROOT CAUSE: Aside from not having a Christmas tree at all, the most environmentally-friendly option is to buy one with roots still in tact. This means you can store it in a pot and plant it in the garden afterwards ready for next year. Pine and Needles has a selection of pot grown fir trees and they deliver nationwide.
FELLED AWAY: If you get a felled tree, choose a local grower with FSC® accreditation. This logo is a symbol that the trees have been grown sustainably and ethically. Forestry England also sources trees from sustainable forests with short transportation line. Most Christmas trees from local garden centres or garage forecourts are farmed intensively on an industrial scale, (sometimes outside of the UK). These Christmas trees are usually sprayed with fertilisers and herbicides and are wholly unsustainable. To avoid this, consider one of the option above or shop for an organic tree. The Soil Association has lots more information on this.
PICK UP LINES: After Christmas you can recycle your felled tree into compost via local authority Christmas tree recycling schemes. Not all councils operate this service, but if yours does they will offer a collection service or drop off point in early January. It is usually shredded into chippings. The alternative is to put it in garden waste or dispose of it at your nearest recycling plant. Check out Recycle Now to see if you’re eligible.
RENTAL CLAUS: Christmas tree rental schemes are an actual thing these days - and growing in popularly too - which I absolutely love! Renting a tree is as simple as ordering your preferred type online, selecting a delivery slot and when it arrives you you decorate it, love it and enjoy it before arranging collection after Christmas to be repotted and nurtured for the following year. What’s not to love? There’s lots of local services including Rental Clause and London Christmas Tree Rental
TREELESS: We’ve all heard about the destruction of our rainforests from wildfires, palm oil extraction and agricultural grazing so rather than getting a tree this Christmas - at a time when they are most precious than ever - donate to preserve them in locations all over the world. Rainforest Concern works in Ecuador, Colombia, Costa Rica and Sri Lanka to protect rainforest ecosystems and the indigenous people that rely on them. World Land Trust a UK non-profit with global reach also offers a similar opportunity and you can donate as much or as little as you can afford.
FAKER: Artificial trees are less environmentally-friendly as most are made from non-recyclable plastic. The carbon emissions generated to produce artificial trees means it requires around 10 Christmases before its carbon neutral and remotely environmentally friendly. Keep it for a long time and you’re net positive in carbon, but the non-recyclable plastic will likely end up on landfill. If you have one then avoid simply replacing it to be more sustainable - it’s not. If it still has mileage then keep it going until it reaches the end of its synthetic life (and hopefully by that time we’ll have a waste management infrastructure that can recycle it!)