Hull recycling specialist ReWorked has brought the first beach waste-sourced Christmas tree to market.
The company that turns end-of-life plastics into construction materials has helped clear up the marine environment while providing an eco-friendly festive choice.
Aimed at the corporate community, the large version equates to 47,145 face masks or 165kg of beach waste - which includes cosmetic packaging, fishing gear and other hard-to-recycle plastics.
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Izzie Glazzard, marketing manager at the MyGroup company, said: “We wanted to create a truly planet-friendly alternative to plastic or real trees that not only reduces CO2 emissions - but also provides a new life solution for recycled plastic waste."
The trees are non-toxic, made of long-lasting UV stable recycled plastic - and they can also be recycled over again. ReWorked has pledged to recycle any damaged or unwanted products at their end of life.
The true environmental effect of Christmas trees has been much contemplated for years, and with COP26 falling in the run-up to 2021 festivities it will be front and centre again.
While the suggestion is often that a plastic alternative is a more planet-friendly solution, most artificial trees are made from PVC, which takes hundreds of years to break down and release dangerous toxins.
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Dr John Kazer of the Carbon Trust said that a 6.5ft artificial tree comes with a carbon footprint of around 40kg of greenhouse gas emissions - and a real tree has a footprint of about 20kg.
Offices, shopping centres and other business environments are being targeted, with the sales team at the company deployed to market the creations, sold for £450 to £550 plus VAT, or rentable - with upcycled decorations also available.
ReWorked, with processing facilities off Stoneferry Road, is behind a huge face mask collection scheme with Morrisons and Wilkos. It has further sites in Goole and North Yorkshire.
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