Rob Basch, HPPC
Jan. 3, 2017 By Hannah Wulkan
Long Island City residents can get rid of their old Christmas trees by putting them through the wood chipper at Hunters Point South Park this weekend.
The Hunters Point Parks Conservancy has partnered with the Parks Department to participate in MulchFest, an annual event where Christmas trees are recycled into mulch.
The mulch is used to nourish green space citywide.
The event will take place Saturday and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. and residents are encouraged to drop their trees off at the corner of Borden Avenue and Center Boulevard.
Last year, 600 trees were put through the chipper at the park. “We will try to top that number,” said Rob Basch, president of the HPPC.
The event will happen simultaneously at 78 parks throughout the city, offering an environmentally friendly way to dispose of Christmas trees.
Last year, more than 30,000 trees were turned to mulch citywide.
Those bringing trees should remove all lights and decorations ahead of time, and park staff will then help put them through a wood chipper to create mulch, which participants can bring home for personal use or leave for use in the city parks.
The Parks department will broadcast the kickoff event for MulchFest live on the Periscope app at http://periscope.tv/nycparks, which will feature a tree mulching demonstration.
The Department of Sanitation will also provide curbside collection of Christmas trees starting today and continuing through January 14.
For a full list of MulchFest locations and information on volunteering, visit https://www.nycgovparks.org/highlights/festivals/mulchfest.
