The UK produces an eye-watering 688,000 tonnes of Christmas waste each year. This waste comes in many forms including plastic packaging, cardboard, tape, Christmas cards, wrapping paper and even £42 million worth of unwanted presents that will go directly to landfill.

In 2022, the majority of Christmas trees purchased were plastic, with 15% of Britons buying real trees. Many believe artificial trees are greener, but they actually have double the carbon footprint of real trees when sent to landfill. Even if you manage to reuse your artificial tree for seven years in a row (the time it would take to equal the carbon footprint of a real tree that was sent to landfill after Christmas), it is still the less sustainable option, as the planting of Christmas trees helps to create habitats for wildlife whilst offsetting carbon emissions - as millions of unsold Christmas trees won’t be be harvested each year. You can even go the extra mile by purchasing a living Christmas tree that can be replanted for the following year, reducing your waste even further.

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