Toggle Nav
Green Living
Zero waste home

How to Make a Zero Waste Christmas Tree ?

09.02.2023 5 min read

How to Make a Zero Waste Christmas Tree ?

A New Way To Make Christmas Tree This Year

As the days grow closer to Christmas, you must revisit your list of priorities for this year's holiday season. This year's Christmas checklist should be all about the dos and don'ts for eco-friendly celebrations rather than arranging a pickup grandma's oud perfume for the nth time in a row or attempting to outdo one another.

You probably associate Christmas with exchanging gifts, enjoying delectable meals with family, and the joy of a fancily ornamented tree. The potential environmental effects of every facet of Christmas, however, probably don't enter your mind.

Whether natural, artificial or in a pot, your Christmas tree, for instance, has some form of carbon impact. And the embellishments you added to it? As you could have suspected, those are also not innocent. But it doesn't mean you have to abandon the focal point of your holiday decorations in the name of sustainability.

Let's look at how Christmas trees affect the environment and how you can create a stunning but zero-waste Christmas tree this year.

The Impact of Christmas Trees on UAE's Environment

Due to their capacity to be recycled, real Christmas trees are frequently perceived as more eco-friendly than their plastic counterparts. However, UAE scientists claim that real trees have a more significant carbon impact in the UAE than plastic trees. The actual trees stop sequestering carbon once they are taken out of the natural environment.

Nine out of every ten artificial Christmas trees sold in the Emirates, according to a study by The National, were sourced from China.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency reported in 2006 that 1 kilogram of plastic created the equivalent of 6 kilograms of carbon dioxide. According to this calculation, a plastic tree can produce about 25 kilos of carbon dioxide, each 2 meters tall and weighing 5 kilograms on average.

One tree would cost around 0.75 kilograms in carbon dioxide to ship when the distance between China and the UAE is considered. The cost of shipping a real tree from Canada to the Emirates, roughly twice as far away as China, is estimated to be 1 kilogram of CO2.

Real trees are still more environmentally friendly when it comes to disposal, transportation costs notwithstanding. Real trees naturally degrade; however, artificial trees are often disposed of by cremation, which would produce 10 kg of CO2 for a 2-meter plastic tree.

However, even one UAE family may reduce carbon dioxide emissions by roughly 900 kilos yearly by recycling one plastic Christmas tree. That's something to consider if you want to have a more environmentally friendly Christmas.

How to Create a Zero Waste Christmas Tree This Holiday Season

Utilizing what you currently have rather than purchasing new items is the most environmentally responsible course of action in almost any circumstance. The most straightforward solutions are often the best ones. Here are a few ideas for making a zero-waste Christmas tree this holiday season.

1.      Use the Existing Greenery in Your Home

Instead of buying a Christmas tree, defy the trend and adorn a houseplant. You don't need to move anything about to make room, nor do you need to buy anything else.

Make sure the houseplant is hardy and capable of withstanding objects dangling from its leaves. Creating your own Christmas tree ornaments is one of many people's favorite childhood Christmas experiences. It is time to relive it.

A houseplant that you have decorated yourself is incredibly satisfying. A smaller "tree" might also encourage you to purchase fewer or less expensive gifts to put under it.

Use candy canes, miniature decorations, or even homemade ribbons to adorn your houseplant. You wouldn't have much to clean up after the festive season, and your Christmas tree will still be gorgeous.

Is there a better way than this to have a zero-waste Christmas tree this holiday season? We highly doubt it.

2.      Use a Real Christmas Tree

As opposed to what some people may believe, real Christmas trees are mainly produced on Christmas tree farms.

While planted on the ground unsuitable for other harvests, the tree filters the air, improves the soil, traps carbon emissions, and creates a habitat for wildlife. After a tree is taken down for Christmas, one to three new trees are planted in its place, creating a sustainable, carefully controlled method of obtaining an eco-friendly Christmas tree.

A real tree is a terrific option to purchase an eco-friendly Christmas tree, mainly because scientists say solving climate change requires recovering and maintaining sustainably managed woodlands, including Christmas tree farms.

Like artificial trees, real trees may be recycled and composted after their useful lives.

This year, purchasing a real Christmas tree straight from the Christmas tree farm is preferable to avoid extra transportation, plastic tree sleeves, and guarantee your tree is as new as possible.

3.      Rent a Tree

It's possible to rent an authentic living tree if you reside in a significant city like Dubai or Abu Dhabi. You choose the tree, the firm delivers it, and after the holiday season is through, the company will pick up the tree once more. It will be watered and looked after until the subsequent holiday period. When a tree becomes too big to be utilized as a Christmas tree, it is planted or given to a nearby park.

Conclusion

Avoiding waste or consuming less doesn't require giving up your Christmas tree. There are several environmentally friendly, plastic-free choices.

Who knows where your environmentally friendly Christmas tree endeavor will lead you? Maybe it will encourage you to have a more sustainable lifestyle by supporting eco-friendly activities like recycling. And Recapp can make it easy for you to perform it.

Recapp can help by providing a free recycling solution at your door-step . Download the app and get started today. 

Sign up for our newsletter

Access useful tips and insights to adopt the recycling reflex
and a better sustainable lifestyle