Associate Professor of the Department of Inorganic Chemistry named after. A.N. Reformed RTU MIREA Andrei Dorokhov explained in a conversation with RT why there is no need to throw the Christmas tree into a landfill.
“After the holidays are over, many people, out of habit, will take their unnecessary Christmas trees to the landfill. However, this is not the most environmentally friendly way to dispose of trees. Under natural conditions, wood decomposes over decades. Carbon dioxide, which is formed during the decomposition process, is released gradually and is absorbed by other organisms. In a landfill, surrounded by other garbage, decomposition processes slow down significantly. This contributes to the accumulation of methane and carbon dioxide, which leads to the release of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere,” the specialist emphasized.
It is recommended to take Christmas trees to special collection points, where they are processed into wood chips to fertilize the soil or used as bedding for animals in zoos, he recommended.
“Alternatively, you can donate the tree to an animal shelter or farm. If you have a summer house, you can use a Christmas tree for kindling,” Dorokhov concluded.
Earlier, Irina Kondratenko, an allergist-immunologist at the Russian Children’s Clinical Hospital of the Ministry of Health of Russia, Doctor of Medical Sciences, Professor, told RT in an interview whether a New Year tree can cause allergies.
Source: russian.rt.com
