With holiday season drawing to a close, the Department of Sanitation (DSNY) and the city’s Parks Department are giving residents the chance to “tree-cycle” their Christmas trees with curbside collections, drop-offs and the 20th annual Mulchfest taking place at 14 parks throughout Queens.
DSNY will begin its annual Christmas tree curbside collection program on Monday, Jan. 4, 2016, and will run through Friday, Jan. 15.
Residents should remove all tree stands, lights, ornaments and decorations from trees before putting them out for collection. Clean, non-bagged Christmas trees left curbside during the program will be chipped, mixed with leaves and recycled into rich compost for the city’s parks, institutions and community gardens.
“Recycling gives Christmas trees new life,” said DSNY Commissioner Kathryn Garcia. “The tree in our homes now will be chipped and reused as mulch in parks and community gardens throughout the city and enjoyed for the months to come.”
The Parks Department, meanwhile, is offering residents two options for “tree-cycling”: the Mulchfest event and open drop-off locations.
Mulchfest 2016 will take place on Saturday, Jan. 9, and Sunday, Jan. 10, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. The NYC Parks drop-off sites will be accepting trees starting Saturday, Jan. 2, through Sunday, Jan. 10.
These options allow Queens residents to drop off their Christmas trees at designated parks for mulching, and to even bring home a free bag of mulch at selected locations.
There are 14 locations throughout Queens that will host Mulchfest and drop-off sites including Astoria Park, Forest Park and Juniper Valley Park.
“There are countless ways we can care for our parks, and Mulchfest is one of the simplest and most fun,” said Mitchell J. Silver, NYC Parks Commissioner. “With nearly 80 locations to drop off your tree this holiday season, we hope to create more mulch in 2016 than ever before. Thanks to the Department of Sanitation, GreenNYC, our sponsors, and of course, our generous community members who we count on to help keep our trees and plants healthy and nutrient-rich.”
For more information on Christmas tree collection and recycling or Mulchfest locations, visit the DSNY website, NYC Parks website or call 311.
