The Christmas tree

How to Make a Christmas Tree from Waste Material

Elsie Goycoolea
By Elsie Goycoolea. Updated: September 4, 2024
How to Make a Christmas Tree from Waste Material

Every December businesses and shops see their sales increase dramatically as people start cashing in their yearly savings. It is the spending season by excellence where people spend money on gifts, food, travel and decorations that often end up in the waste. It is a tradition for many families to go pick up a Christmas tree and then honor the tradition of decorating it together. For other families, buying a real Christmas tree is not an option and they end up settling for an artificial tree. A third option is to use waste material to make a Christmas tree.

On this OneHowTo article we share several ideas on how to make a Christmas tree from waste material.

Contents
  1. Empty water (or glass) bottles
  2. Toilet paper rolls
  3. Wine bottles and wine corks

Empty water (or glass) bottles

Everyone has water bottles piled up and ready to be recycles. So how about giving them a second chance and upcycling them into an original DIY Christmas tree?

For this first idea we will be using:

  • Empty plastic bottles
  • Entrée and dessert paper plates
  • Different color paint (green, red or white)
  • Glue

A tree is essentially a pyramid so the bottles we will use will make up the different levels. The number of plastic bottles that you will need depends on how large and high you want your Christmas tree to be.

To start to make a Christmas tree from waste material, cut your plastic bottles at mid length. Make sure that they are all cut at the same length. You may paint the bottles and plates green to mimic the color of a Christmas tree or any other color that you wish. Discard the top halves (just leave one of these for later) and gather up all the bottom halves.

For the lower level, start placing your bottles upside down in the shape of a circle. Then place an entrée paper plate on top and then start placing a second layer of plastic bottles. Since you want this level to be smaller make sure that you are using fewer bottles.

Next, place a dessert paper plate on top and create a third layer of plastic bottles. Finally, decorate the top of your Christmas tree by using one leftover bottle top looking up.

To make it more stable you can glue the bottle halves to the paper plates.

How to Make a Christmas Tree from Waste Material - Empty water (or glass) bottles
Image: i.imgur.com

Toilet paper rolls

Next, another of the most common waste materials we can find around the house is toilet paper rolls, for all the obvious reasons. Take a look at how to make this cristmas tree that can also double up as a creative advent calendar.

For the second DIY we will be using:

  • Leftover toilet paper rolls
  • Paint (brown and gree)
  • Glue

Again, the number of paper rolls you will need depends on your ideal Christmas tree size.

First, you will need at least two paper rolls for your base. Paint them brown and stick them one next to each other vertically.

Then, paint the rest of your toilet paper rolls green. To create each layer, you will need to stick several paper rolls horizontally. If you use seven paper rolls for the lower level, for the next level you will need six, then five, until you only have one left at the top.

If you are highly creative, you can paint some ornaments on the paper rolls too.

Use 25 toilet paper rolls if you want to make them into an advent calendar and slip a treat inside each hole!

How to Make a Christmas Tree from Waste Material - Toilet paper rolls
Image: img.creatifulkids.com

Wine bottles and wine corks

Not all Christmas trees need to be huge and pompous, especially if you live in a small house. Small Christmas trees can make up for original Christmas table centerpieces and add a holiday touch to small rooms.

For this DIY, you will need:

  • Old wine bottles
  • Wine corks
  • Paint (your choice of color)
  • Glue

The idea is to use the recycled paper wine corks for the decorations. Glue the corks to the wine bottle until it is fully covered up. The wine corks stuck to the wine bottle will add volume to look similar to a tree. You decide how large and wide you want your tree to be.

When the glue has dried up, you can then take out your artistic skills to paint the tree as you wish. If you have any glitter, adding this brings a nice touch.

How to Make a Christmas Tree from Waste Material - Wine bottles and wine corks

If you want to read similar articles to How to Make a Christmas Tree from Waste Material, we recommend you visit our Festivities & Celebrations category.

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chris
Wow! Amazing ideas to make a Christmas tree from waste material, I' think I'll try the bottle Christmas tree. Hope it works!
Image: i.imgur.com
Image: img.creatifulkids.com
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How to Make a Christmas Tree from Waste Material