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  
  
 COURIER L 20     IFE, JANUARY 7-13, 2022 
 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” 
 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 
  
  
  
  
  
  
   
  
  
  
  
  
  
    
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
    
  
  
    
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
    
  
  
  
    
    
  
    
  
  
  
    
  
  
  
  
   
    
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
 
				
/mulchfest
		/mulchfest
		/mulchfest