NYC Parks Commissioner Iris Rodriguez-Rosa joined elected officials in Manhattan on Monday, Jan. 5, to announce the Annual Mulchfest which is running from Dec. 26 through Jan. 11, and encouraged New Yorkers to have their holiday tree chipped at various park locations across the City rather than throw them out.

 

“Mulchfest is one of New York City’s favorite sustainability traditions, and last year New Yorkers showed up in a big way, by chipping over 52,000 trees!” said Rodriguez-Rosa. “I am hoping that together, as a city, we can do even better this year. Turning holiday trees into valuable mulch not only supports our parks year-round, but it allows us to come together to practice sustainability and environmental responsibility. Let’s make Mulchfest 2026 one to remember!”

Drop-offs are located at 76 sites citywide, including:

Bronx:

St. James Park

Pelham Bay Park

Williamsbridge Oval Park

Crotona Park-Tennis house

 

Brooklyn:

Prospect Park- Lincoln Road & Ocean Avenue

Coffey Park

Sunset Park

Washington Park

 

Manhattan:

Morningside Park

Seward Park

Central Park- W 67th Street (north side of Tavern on the Green entrance

Washington Square Park

 

Staten Island:

Silver Lake Tennis House

Tappen Park

Wolfe’s Pond Park

Willowbrook Park

 

Queens:

Rockaway Beach – Shore Front Pkwy & Beach 94th Street

Queensbridge Park (Vernon Boulevard and Queensbridge Park Greenway)

John Golden Park (215th Place and 33rd Avenue)

Lawrence Virgilio Playground (Windmuller) (39th Drive and 54th Street)

 

For more information, including the full list of Mulchfest drop-off and Saturday chipping sites, visit: www.nyc.gov/mulchfest. New Yorkers can drop off holiday trees at one of the 76 sites, including 35 chipping sites, across the five boroughs, including parks and Greenthumb gardens. The trees are then chipped and recycled, and the mulch is used to nourish city trees and plants in every corner of the city.

 

NYC Parks officials said Mulchfest is part of the New York City holiday tradition, where New Yorkers are encouraged to make greening a family activity by turning holiday trees into mulch that can be used for gardening and to increase soil fertility. For more than 20 years, they said Parks has collected and mulched trees to help planting beds and community gardens around the city grow.

 

They added that mulch maintains the health of the City’s trees and plants citywide by deterring weeds, retaining moisture, preventing compaction, adding nutrients to the soil, and keeping roots warm. In recent years, Parks has mulched between 25,000 and 30,000 on average annually, with over 42,000 mulched during 2024, setting a Mulchfest record. In 2025, NYC Parks achieved the second-highest Mulchfest record, chipping over 52,000 trees into sustainable mulch.