Artificial Christmas trees are made of plastic, PVC specifically, that ensures the long life and durability of the trees. The chemical properties associated with plastics such as PVC provide a useful life of 20 years or more. As a result, artificial trees do not clog up the waste stream or recycling facilities on an annual basis. Although lives trees are biodegradable over time or recycled into mulch, the plastic and metal raw materials used to manufacture artificial trees are just as recyclable.

The durability of plastic makes it an ideal candidate for recycling because it retains most of its characteristics in its second, third and additional lives. In fact, each artificial tree saves 10 live trees from being cut down in the process. Additionally, PVC chemical composition is the most stable among all plastics, ensuring that PVC artificial trees do not pollute the environment under normal disposal methods. In typical use including artificial trees, PVC has no emissions dangers, and PVC includes certain stabilizers that make it inherently fire resistant.