Recycle Your Holiday Trees at NYC Parks’ MulchFest or Arrange for Bulk Pick-Up of Large, Artificial Trees

By SÍLE MOLONEY

After an initial mishap following the tree-lighting countdown, the holiday tree is lit up to the delight of onlookers at the end of the annual, tree-lighting event on Mosholu Parkway, on the border of Norwood and Bedford Park, organized by Bronx Community Board 7 and Friends of Mosholu Parkland, on Tuesday, December 7, 2021.
Photo by Miriam Quiñones

NYC Parks and NYC Department of Sanitation (DSNY) officials are encouraging New Yorkers to wrap up their holiday season by saying goodbye to their respective holiday trees during the annual Mulchfest, a New York City holiday tradition of recycling holiday trees.

Residents can put on their boots, haul their trees to a nearby Mulchfest drop-off location near them, between Saturday, Dec. 26, 2021 and Sunday, Jan 9, 2022. City workers will then chip the trees into wood chips for residents to take home and use to nourish trees, and make the City even greener.

More than 29,000 trees were recycled last year and City officials would like to top this number this year, with the help of residents.

Some locations are drop-off sites and some are chipping sites. Check out the map to find the relevant site. On Sunday, Jan. 9, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., New Yorkers can bring their trees to a nearby chipping site as part of the annual Chipping Weekend. City agency workers will chip trees and give residents their very own bag of mulch to use in their backyards, or to use to make a winter bed for a street tree. To participate, look for a chipping site from the list, below.

Drop off and chipping locations in the Bronx.
Table courtesy of NYC Parks department

Know Before You Go

Please remember to remove all lights, ornaments, and netting before bringing the tree to a Mulchfest site. Mulch is available at the sites marked with an asterisk (*) in the attached table. Residents should wear a face covering and practice social distancing by remaining at least 6 feet apart from others.

Volunteer to Help Sustain City Trees

Volunteer with the City’s stewardship team to help spread mulch collected during the latest annual Mulchfest around City trees to insulate them from the cold weather. Find a site near you, and help give back to the City’s trees. Register today

Mulchfest activity — A man carries a tree, while being accompanied by a small child.
Photo courtesy of NYC Parks

Mulchfest Locations

Residents can drop off their trees at any Mulchfest location during park hours between December 26 and January 9, or on Jan 9, at a chipping site near them.

Meanwhile, weather permitting, DSNY will collect clean, natural Christmas trees starting on Thursday, January 6, 2022 through Saturday, January 15, 2022. The trees will be chipped, mixed with leaves, and recycled into compost for NYC’s parks, institutions, and community gardens. Residents should remove all lights, ornaments, tinsel, stands and plastic bags from their trees before collection.

Artificial Holiday Trees

Residents are encouraged to donate or sell used, artificial trees in good condition at donateNYC or, if possible, take apart the tree to recycle the base and trunk (pole) along with other metal, glass, plastic and cartons. Remove all lights, ornaments and tinsel before placing the tree at the curb.

Otherwise, set it out as garbage on regular collection day(s). If the tree is greater than 4 feet long, residents should make a bulk pick-up appointment. To schedule a bulk pick-up appointment, visit the Bulk Item Disposal page or call 311.

admin

Welcome to the Norwood News, a bi-weekly community newspaper that primarily serves the northwest Bronx communities of Norwood, Bedford Park, Fordham and University Heights. Through our Breaking Bronx blog, we focus on news and information for those neighborhoods, but aim to cover as much Bronx-related news as possible. Founded in 1988 by Mosholu Preservation Corporation, a not-for-profit affiliate of Montefiore Medical Center, the Norwood News began as a monthly and grew to a bi-weekly in 1994. In September 2003 the paper expanded to cover University Heights and now covers all the neighborhoods of Community District 7. The Norwood News exists to foster communication among citizens and organizations and to be a tool for neighborhood development efforts. The Norwood News runs the Bronx Youth Journalism Heard, a journalism training program for Bronx high school students. As you navigate this website, please let us know if you discover any glitches or if you have any suggestions. We’d love to hear from you. You can send e-mails to norwoodnews@norwoodnews.org or call us anytime (718) 324-4998.