Christmas is a beautiful time for families and friends to get together and enjoy quality time. The trimmings on the tree, the aroma of freshly cooked foods, drinks and cheers, it is quite a festive season.
But what happens with your tree once the holiday is over? After the decorations are packed away, is your tree tied, dragged and left at the curbside to be picked up by sanitation?
For two years, my children and I have participated in MulchFest, part of the TreeCycle program – a joint effort between New York City Department of Parks & Recreation, the New York City Department of Sanitation, and GreeNYC. Christmas trees are recycled into wood chips. The wood chips are used to provide nourishment to plantings and trees throughout the City.
Drop off sites have been designated throughout the City. The Bronx has 18 sites. 5 of the sites will be equipped with wood chippers. You can watch your tree chopped up into small pieces of bark and smell the fragrance of pine. Best of all, they provide free biodegradable bags for free mulch distribution! Apply it to your garden, or a tree bed of a young street tree.
In the past, my family has used the mulch to fill two soil beds located on a dead end street in our neighborhood. For weeks the spirit of the season lingered in the natural scent of the recycled trees.
Mulchfest will be held on Saturday, January 11 and Sunday, January 12, 2014 between 10 -2pm.
Drop off sites are as follows:
Crotona Park, Tennis House, Crotona Avenue
Echo Park, Tremont Ave & Valentine St
Fort #4 Playground, Reservoir & Webb Aves
Haffen Park, Hamersley & Wickham Aves
Kossuth Playground, Mosholu Pkwy. North & Kossuth Ave
Little Green Garden, E. 161 St at Melrose and Courtland Aves
Padre Plaza⁄Success Garden, E. 139th St at St. Ann’s Ave
St. James Park, W. 192nd St & Jerome Ave
St. Mary’s Park, office at St. Ann’s Ave. & East 149th St
Tremont Park, East Tremont & Arthur Aves
Van Cortlandt Park, Indian Fields at E. 233nd Street ball fields
Pelham Bay Park, parking lot at Middletown Rd & Stadium Ave
Williamsbridge Oval Park, Reservoir Place & Reservoir Oval.
Chipping sites, where free mulch will be distributed, are as follows:
Brook Park, Brook Ave at East 141st St
Co-Op City, Co-Op Blvd and Bellamy Loop
Metropolitan Oval Parkchester, Metropolitan Ave & Unionport Rd
Poe Park, Grand Concourse between East Kingbridge & E. 192 St
Van Cortlandt Park, Golf Course at Bailey Ave and Van Cortlandt Park South.
Let’s start 2014 by collectively minding the most important common factor we share: our environment.
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