Turn Your Christmas Trees Into Compost
Once the ornaments have come down, residents from across the city are invited to have their live Christmas trees chipped during the 18th annual Mulchfest scheduled for next weekend.
Coordinated by the Parks and Sanitation departments, Mulchfest will be held next Saturday and Sunday, Jan. 11-12, at more than 45 public parks throughout the five boroughs. Each location will be open from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m., but residents who want to get rid of their trees earlier can leave them at designated drop off sites beginning this Saturday, Jan. 4.
Every evergreen brought to Mulchfest will be chipped by the Parks Department for free and transformed into mulch. The collected mulch will then be used by the department to enrich tree pits and flowerbeds in public parks; members of the public can also grab a bag of mulch for their own gardens.
Locations in the Times Newsweekly coverage area participating in Mulchfest include the following:
– Astoria Park, located at the corner of 19th Street and Hoyt Avenue in Astoria (chipping and drop-off);
– Forest Park Bandshell, located on Forest Park Drive off Woodhaven Boulevard (chipping and drop-off);
– Juniper Valley Park, located on 80th Street between Juniper Boulevards North and South in Middle Village (chipping and drop-off);
– Land Restoration Project Compound, located at the corner of Queens Plaza South and 10th Street in Long Island City (chipping and drop-off);
– Maria Hernandez Park, located at the corner of Knickerbocker Avenue and Suydam Street in Bushwick (drop-off only);
– McCarren Park, located at the corner of Driggs Avenue and Lorimer Street in Greenpoint (chipping and drop-off); and
– McGolrick Park, located at the corner of Monitor Street and Driggs Avenue in Greenpoint (drop-off only).
The Sanitation Department, meanwhile, began its annual Christmas tree curbside collection program on Monday, Jan. 30; it continues through Wednesday, Jan. 15. These trees will also be chipped after collection and turned into mulch for use at city parks and gardens.
All trees must be free of any ornaments, tinsel, garland and other decorations before being dropped off at Mulchfest or left for collection. The trees must also not be contained in plastic bags.
For more information on Mulchfest, visit www.nyc.gov/parks; for more information on the Sanitation Department, visit www.nyc.gov/dsny. Additional information on both programs may also be obtained by calling 311.
