Thousands Are Collected And Chipped Into Mulch
Department of Sanitation (DSNY) Commissioner John J. Doherty announced that the agency collected 147,961 discarded Christmas trees at curbsides across the city between Jan. 3 and Jan. 14.
The trees were turned into mulch that will be spread upon parks, community gardens and open spaces citywide.
In addition, the Parks Department’s 15th annual MulchFest recycled a record-setting 24,231 Christmas trees during the weekend of Jan. 7-8.
The total number of discarded Christmas trees collected and chipped by the city this year was 172,192. In Queens, 32,925 trees were collected by the DSNY and 2,405 were dropped off during MulchFest.
“Once again, Sanitation and the Parks & Recreation Department joined forces to help our environment by recycling discarded Christmas trees. The benefit of chipping Christmas trees goes well beyond the holiday,” Doherty said. “By composting discarded trees, the city can distribute the groundcover among parks, as well as grass and woodsy public areas across the city. Enriched soil and healthy plant life go hand-inhand to keep our city parks and public spaces looking their best.”
