Thanks very mulch!
Christmas is over and New Year’s Eve is a week away, but Mulchfest — New York City’s annual “tree-cycling” program — has arrived to fill the festive gap.
The thousands of live Christmas trees sold around Brooklyn this season are reaching the end of their lives, and Mulchfest is an easy and eco-friendly way to say fir-well to those beloved boughs.
From Dec. 26-Jan. 11, Brooklynites can drop their trees off at one of 23 Mulchfest locations across the borough, where they’ll gather in fragrant piles until the parks department chips them into fresh mulch.
That nutrient-rich mulch will then be used in parks, tree beds and gardens around the city. According to the parks department, mulch helps to prevent weeds and soil compaction, maintain moisture, and keeps plant roots warm in freezing wintertime temperatures.
Mulching is a green way to dispose of the trees, too. Live Christmas trees are generally considered more sustainable than fake ones, but tossing them responsibly is important. In a landfill, organic matter can’t decompose properly, and “recycling” a live tree reduces its environmental impact even further.
More than 52,000 trees were recycled at last year’s Mulchfest, per the parks department, and they’re hoping to get even more this year.
The last weekend of Mulchfest, Jan. 10 and 11, is “Chipping Weekend.” On those days, you can bring your tree to a select Mulchfest location to watch your tree get chipped, then take home a bag of mulch to use in your own garden or street tree bed.
Even if you don’t have a tree, some orgs, like the Prospect Park Alliance and Cobble Hill Association are looking for volunteers to help out with Chipping Weekend.
Find a full list of Mulchfest and Chipping Weekend sites below. Before you drop off your tree, be sure to remove all lights, decorations and netting from your tree.
If you can’t make it to Mulchfest — or you want to keep your tree up a while longer — the Department of Sanitation also picks up trees and wreaths as part of regular curbside service. In that case, remove all decorations, lights and ornaments and set your greenery on the curb, without a bag, on your usual compost/recycling pickup day. Live trees collected at the curb are also mulched.
To toss an artificial tree that’s reached the end of its life, disassemble it to recycle the metal “trunk” and base with your usual recycling. The rest of the tree can be thrown in the regular trash.
Brooklyn Mulchfest Drop-Off sites, available anytime from Dec. 26-Jan. 11:
- Amazon Garden, 261 Columbia St. in Red Hook
- Brooklyn Bridge Park Pier 3 in Dumbo
- Brooklyn Bridge Park Pier 5, near Oddfellows Ice Cream in Dumbo
- Brooklyn Bridge Park, Dock Street entrance near Water Street in Dumbo
- Brooklyn Bridge Park, Jay Street entrance near John Street in Dumbo
- Brooklyn Heights Promenade at Columbia Heights and Cranberry Street in Brooklyn Heights
- Brower Park at Brooklyn Avenue and Prospect Place in Crown Heights
- Cobble Hill Park at Clinton Street and Verandah Place in Cobble Hill
- Coffey Park at Dwight and Verona streets in Red Hook
- Domino Park at River and South 3rd streets in Williamsburg
- Fort Greene Park at Washington Park and Myrtle Avenue in Fort Greene
- Greene Space at President Street, 222 5th Avenue in Park Slope
- Herbert Von King Park at Marcy and Lafayette avenues in Bed-Stuy
- Maria Hernandez Park at Suydam Street and Knickerbocker Avenue in Bushwick
- Marine Park at East 33rd Street and Avenue U in Marine Park
- McCarren Park at Lorimer Street and Driggs Avenue in Williamsburg
- McGolrick Park at Monitor Street and Driggs Avenue in Greenpoint
- Myrtle Village Green at 636 Myrtle Avenue in Bed-Stuy
- Owl’s Head Park at 68th Street and Colonial Road in Bay Ridge
- Prospect Park at Lincoln Road and Ocean Avenue
- Prospect Park at Park Circle and Parkside Avenue
- Prospect Park at Prospect Park West and 3rd Street
- Sunset Park at 44th Street and 6th Avenue in Sunset Park
- Washington Park at 3rd Street and 5th Avenue in Gowanus
Chipping Weekend sites, Jan. 10+11, 10 a.m.-2 p.m. (Drop-off available any time)
- Brooklyn Bridge Park Pier 3 in Dumbo
- Cobble Hill Park at Clinton Street and Verandah Place in Cobble Hill
- Domino Park at River Street and South 3rd Street in Williamsburg
- Fort Greene Park at Washington Park and Myrtle Avenue in Fort Greene
- Maria Hernandez Park at Suydam Street and Knickerbocker Avenue in Bushwick
- Marine Park at East 33rd Street and Avenue U in Marine Park
- McCarren Park at Lorimer Street and Driggs Avenue in Williamsburg
- Owl’s Head Park at 68th Street and Colonial Road in Bay Ridge
- Prospect Park, Park Circle at Parkside Avenue
- Prospect Park, Prospect Park West and 3rd Street
