Christmas trees aren’t all green (From This Is Local London)

Christmas trees aren’t all green

10:22am Friday 15th December 2006

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With the festive season upon us and tinsel and baubles brightening up houses across the borough, eco-experts are urging people to consider how their choice of Christmas tree will affect the environment.

Considering about six million Christmas trees end up in landfill every year in the UK alone, the Sutton Centre of Environmental Initiatives and Bioregional is encouraging people to recycle their tree after the presents under it have been opened.

Last year only 1.2million were recycled and the waste from binned trees could have filled the Albert Hall.

A spokesman from Bioregional said: "If you are serious about having an environmentally friendly Christmas tree, the best thing to buy one with roots, plant it outside and decorate it each year.

"You can trim it to keep it a nice shape and size while providing a home for squirrels, birds and insects in your garden. This is better than bringing a potted tree inside each year as it will have limited space for root growth.

"If you don't have a garden you could decorate a big house plant or buy a good classic looking plastic tree that won't date so you'll want to use for at least another 10 years.

"These can't be recycled when you throw them away. Cut Christmas trees are very wasteful - a week after Christmas they are dead.

"However if you are set on buying one make sure that it's been grown in the UK, and even better is organic and Forest Stewardship Council certified.

"When you are finished with it either compost it in your garden or make sure it gets collected by your council to be reused as mulch in their parks."

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