BY KIRSTYN BRENDLEN
Christmas is over, which
can only mean one thing:
Mulchfest is back!
As the holiday lights dim,
and Brooklynites turn their
earnest eyes towards the New
Year, hundreds of thousands
of once-dazzling Christmas
trees will return to the earth
— as the city’s Sanitation Department
will shred the evergreen
trees into nutrient-rich
compost to nurture the New
York’s plants and fl owerbeds.
Last year, the department
collected more than 29,000
trees, and reused them to reinvigorate
the New York City
soil during the post-Christmas
Mulchfest mania.
Brooklynites can put their
trees out to the curb any time
between Jan. 6 and Jan. 15,
and DSNY, using what they
call the “Best Smelling Collection
Trucks in the City,” will
come to pick them up and take
them away to their next life.
If that’s not soon enough,
Mulchfest is already on until
Jan. 9 at dozens of the city’s
local parks, and New Yorkers
can haul their beloved trees to
the closest one to see their evergreen
friend begin its journey
to the next life. And, if
you want to take your chipped
tree home with you to mulch
your backyard or your favorite
neighborhood street tree,
head out to “Chipping Weekend”
COURIER LIFE, DEC.22 31, 2021-JAN. 6, 2022
Parks Department employees toss old pines into the wood-chipper. File photo by Caleb Caldwell
on Jan. 8 and 9 to get a
bag of mulch on the spot.
“Mulchfest is back, and
we’re proud to partner with
DSNY once again to offer New
Yorkers the opportunity to recycle
their holiday trees,” said
NYC Parks Commissioner Gabrielle
Fialkoff. “Mulch is used
in parks, playgrounds, tree
beds and greenspaces across
the city, and is nourishing for
the environment. Whether
leaving clean trees on the curb,
or dropping off at one of our 74
park locations, we urge all City
residents to take part in the
celebration and recycle their
tree this holiday season!”
Whether you’re putting the
tree out to the curb or bringing
it right to the woodchipper,
Parks asks that you remember
to take off all the lights, ornaments,
tinsel and beads —
plastic and glass don’t make
good compost.
Millions of households
across the U.S. purchase live
Christmas trees each year —
and while the environmental
impact of live versus artifi cial
trees is unclear, responsibly
disposing of a live tree reduces
waste and boosts the local environment
when the tree is reused
as mulch or compost
If sent to landfi ll, Christmas
trees and other organic
materials produce dangerous
greenhouse gases. Properlyhandled
compost has fresh air,
space, fungus and bacteria to
allow healthy decomposition,
resulting in a nutritious soil
additive perfect for trees and
garden beds, whether they’re
in your yard, along the curb,
or in parks.
Find a list of Mulchfest
sites, including those participating
in “Chipping Weekend,”
at www.nycgovparks.org/highlights/
festivals/mulchfest.
MULCHLOVED!
Mulchfest returns with curbside
pickup and 23 Bklyn drop-off sites
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