If you are looking to buy an eco-friendly Christmas tree, which is better - a plastic Christmas tree or a real Christmas tree? It’s an old issue that gets revisited most years and the National Christmas Tree Association has come up with a neat table which they hope will resolve the issue.

It appears that the answer as to which sort of Christmas tree is more environmentally friendly is the real deal – not only are real Christmas trees plant tissue that is 100% biodegradable, but unlike plastic Christmas trees, they do not contain harmful or un-environmentally friendly things such as PVC or lead.

Real Christmas trees are easily recyclable and should not need to go into landfill – in fact, composting your Christmas tree gives nutrients back to the soil. It is true that some pesticides and fertilisers may have been used whilst the tree was growing however most pesticides are applied to the ground and research shows that Christmas trees to not have any significant amounts of chemical residue in them – this is in contrast to plastic Christmas trees which may contain many toxins and are usually derived from petroleum, a non-renewable source of energy.

Christmas trees also help their local environment – not only do they absorb gases such as carbon dioxide as they grow, they also product oxygen, help to stabilize soil, protect water supplies and protect wildlife.

With so much information available on what’s good for the environment and what isn’t, the chart that the National Christmas Tree Association have come up with is a neat, easy to read and easy to understand chart enabling consumers to make a straightforward comparison.

Don’t forget that there is also no need to buy a tree each year – some suppliers will sell Christmas trees complete with roots so your Christmas tree can live outside your house in a pot or in your garden the rest of the year.

Popularity: 26% [?]