Those dreaming of a white Christmas may take part in the swarming tradition of spraying a Christmas tree with a fake snow substance to make it look wintry.
But if you bought a real Christmas tree this winter and decided to keep it white after Labor Day, you might be in for a surprise when it comes time to get rid of it. Flocked trees are rarely accepted for recycling.
What is hair transplant?
The hair transplant itself long historybut became popular in the 1950s when General Mills sold Sno-Flok kits. This technique is most popular in areas that don’t get snow in the winter, such as the West Coast and the southern United States.
What’s in each can of hair transplant spray varies by manufacturer. If it’s in an aerosol can, Probably a mixture of fatty acids It also includes chemical emulsifiers, binders, solvents, and propellants. Some companies make hair transplant sprays from paper and cornstarch rather than fatty acids.
There are several benefits to crowding your Christmas tree beyond aesthetics. Flock sprays contain flame retardants, which reduce the risk of the tree catching fire. It also takes longer for the tree to dry, so you don’t need to water it as much. The hair transplant spray also acts as an adhesive and prevents the needles from falling to the floor.
And if you search Pinterest, you’ll find lots of options for making your own hair transplant spray using soap flakes, laundry detergent, and glue. This may give you the desired “snowy” tree look, but you won’t get the additional benefits mentioned above.
Disposal of flocked trees
After the new year, most people try to get rid of their Christmas tree. The most popular option is tree cycling, where municipalities collect trees from curbside pick-ups and events and then mulch, compost, or throw them into bodies of water for habitat restoration.
In all of these environmentally friendly disposal options, the wood is broken down into its organic components. In flocked trees, non-organic components are introduced that affect this process. Naturally, most tree recyclers don’t want to risk adding harmful chemicals to mulch, compost, or wildlife habitat.
However, you can sometimes find cities that accept flocked trees. In these cases, the temperature of the composting facility where the trees are harvested will be hot enough to break down the flocking spray, similar to how some commercially available composting equipment can break down bioplastic bags. However, this is not the case for the majority of commercial composting facilities in the United States.
But in general, it’s safe to assume that if you’ve planted a tree, it can’t be recycled or composted at the end of its lifespan.
time to flock
Let’s say you miss Midwestern winters and the clusters of trees remind you of home. you Really Do you want a flocked tree? Consider purchasing an artificial Christmas tree and flocking to it.
Artificial trees are made from PVC plastic, often stabilized with lead, and cannot be recycled. When artificial trees are sprayed with artificial flocking, they last for several years before eventually needing to be disposed of. By the time it ends up in a landfill, you can have five to seven white Christmases compared to one real flocked Christmas tree.
If you’re looking for a more sustainable Christmas tree, read 4 Ways to Make the Greenest Christmas Tree.
This article was originally published on December 21, 2017 and updated in December 2024.
