A Christmas Tree can be for life, not for one Christmas

Now that Christmas is nearly over, you probably do not want to think about it for another 12 months. However, when it comes to Christmas trees, it might pay off in the long term to do so.

Statistics on Christmas tree sales and recycling in the United Kingdom (U.K.) are not promising.

Envirowise, citing an Independent article from 2006, claimed six million Christmas trees were bought but only 1.5 million of them were actually recycled.

In 2014, the Freight Transport Association, citing the Environment Agency, reported that eight million real Christmas trees were brought each year. Artificial Christmas trees produce 40kg of carbon emissions if thrown on a landfill, compared to a real tree’s 3.5kg after chipping and incineration.

On top of that, local authorities have to pay landfill tax for the extra weight at Christmas.

So, throwing away a Christmas tree, whether real or artificial, costs the environment and the U.K. taxpayer, not to mention your wallet when it comes to buying a new tree in Christmas 2016.

Christmas tree growers may argue that real trees are actually greener than artificial ones because they provide a habitat for wildlife. But, let’s be honest, if you bought an artificial one, you do not need to throw it away in January and buy a new one.

I know that this is possible, because my parents brought an artificial Christmas tree when I was very young. Almost 40 years later, it’s still in a usable condition.

So, as we are all making New Year’s resolutions, how about adding one more to the list?

Sources

Envirowaste, Christmas Waste Statistics — making Christmas ‘Green’, 11 December 2014

Freight Transport Association, Christmas statistics 2014