“Tree-cycling” Your Christmas Tree in NYC; Options include Curbside Collection and MulchFest
Sanitation Commissioner Kathryn Garcia announced that the New York City Department of Sanitation would begin its annual Christmas tree curbside collection on Tuesday, January 2. Collection will run through Saturday, January 13, 2018, weather permitting.
City residents should remove all stands, tinsel, lights and ornaments before putting trees out for collection. Clean, non-bagged Christmas trees left on the curb between Tuesday, January 2 and Saturday, January 13, will be chipped, mixed with leaves, and recycled into compost for the city’s parks, institutions and community gardens.
Those wishing to dispose of mostly plastic and metal fake Christmas trees should remove all ornaments and put them out next to your recycling on regular recycling days.
The Department of Sanitation collected more than 242,000 Christmas trees for “tree-cycling” after Christmas 2016.
“While Christmas trees are in our homes for only a short period of time, recycling can give them a longer life,” said Commissioner Garcia. “After collection, the trees are turned into compost to give life to plants in our city’s parks and community gardens. We thank all residents for taking part in the program.”
NYC Parks provides additional options for tree-cycling via their annual MulchFest event which will be held on Saturday, January 6 and Sunday, January 7 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at locations across the city. Participants may bring a bag to take home mulch for use in personal gardens. Those not able to attend MulchFest can use NYC Parks’ drop-off sites, which are accepting trees Sunday, December 31 through Sunday, January 7. To find chipping sites or drop-off locations, visit nyc.gov/parks and search “MulchFest.” Remove all lights, ornaments, decorations and netting from trees before attending the events.
“The real fun begins when the ornaments are taken off and the tinsel comes down – because that means it’s Mulchfest time! Mulchfest is a holiday tradition for NYC Parks, extending the spirit of giving and warmth all year round by turning old Christmas trees into mulch for parks and gardens,” said Parks Commissioner Mitchell J. Silver, FAICP.
For more information on Christmas tree collection and recycling or MulchFest, visit www.nyc.gov/dsny, www.nyc.gov/parks or call 311.
About the New York City Department of Sanitation
The Department of Sanitation (DSNY) promotes a healthy environment through the efficient management of solid waste and the development of environmentally sound long-range planning for handling refuse, including recyclables. The Department operates 59 district garages and manages a fleet of more than 2,000 rear-loading collection trucks, 450 mechanical brooms and 693 salt/sand spreaders. The Department clears litter, snow and ice from approximately 6,500 miles of City streets and removes debris from vacant lots as well as abandoned vehicles from City streets.
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