HAMPTON ROADS, Va. (WAVY) — A lot goes into picking a tree — including if it’ll be real or fake, and a local environmental organization wants you to opt for the real deal. "So, we encourage people to use real trees,” said Christy Everett, Hampton Roads director with the Chesapeake Bay Foundation. Everett doesn't beat around the bush when it comes to telling folks the facts about your Scotch pine or Fraser fir — and what makes them superior to a fake tree. “They're better 'cause not only can they be recycled — eventually, typically, your curbside recycling done by your locality will pull that up and make mulch out of it," Everett said, [but] also, Hampton Roads Green, HR Green, coordinates efforts. Sometimes those trees can be going to a shoreline like a beach or dune replenishment as well."Now, you might justify buying a fake tree, saying it'll last you forever. But on average, Everett said, folks only use them for six to nine years. And unlike their real counterparts, they're not recyclable."They have hard plastics, soft plastics, they have electronics in them, metal in them," she said. "And so, there are really not any recycling programs that can use that, so they're taking up space in the landfill."Real trees also capture the carbon dioxide in the air and put out fresh oxygen. And they provide more jobs — think of those farmers and vendors. Speaking of which, Patrick Mahon is a foreman at Carter's Country Corner, which has trees from North Carolina.“We have Fraser fir Christmas trees," Mahon said. "These came from Avery County, right where the washouts happened from Hurricane Helene this summer. We've been doing business with this particular grower for over 30 years."And buying a real one doesn't always mean breaking the bank."I've got some small trees that are like $21 if you want something to go on top of a table," Mahon said. "We've got some trees that are regular-sized that would be like $49."Another benefit — that glorious smell that welcomes you home at the end of the day."It's the realness of Christmas is what it feels like, to me at least,” Mahon said. You can also create an artificial reef that's great for local sea life by throwing your real tree into a local lake. To find out who has recycling tree programs, visit HR Green's website at https://askhrgreen.org/.