With the festive season well under way, a new survey has revealed that just 15% of us in South Wales who celebrate Christmas have bought a real tree this year. Six in ten (60%) say they used an artificial tree they already own, while 7% bought an artificial tree this year.
Britons aged 18 to 24 are most likely to be celebrating with a real Christmas tree, at 25% compared to 9% of the over-65s.
This is likely because the older generation has long since invested in an artificial tree, before environmental considerations became a factor, with two-thirds of those aged 65 and over using a fake tree they already own compared to 48% of 18-24 year olds.
When considering manufacturing, materials, packaging and transport, a six-and-a-half-foot artificial tree has a carbon footprint equivalent to about 40kg of greenhouse gas emissions. This is more than twice that of a real tree of the same size that ends up in landfill and more than 10 times that of a real tree which is burnt.
More than half of Britons (54%) think that having an artificial tree is more environmentally friendly than having a real tree each year, with only 16% believing a real tree is the greener option. It is estimated that you would need to keep a fake Christmas tree for at least 7 years before it has less of a carbon impact than buying a real tree each year.
In terms of disposing of a real Christmas tree following the festive season, a third of Britons (33%) will take advantage of their local authority’s special collection service, with the trees then shredded and used on gardens and parks. A quarter of Britons (25%) will take their tree to a recycling centre, while 16% will re-plant it, and one in nine (11%) will shred it and use it on their own garden.
