Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
Arts & Entertainment
Gather Ye Yuletide Trees For The Annual Mulchfest
By
Sophia Chang
Published Dec 26, 2020
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
Never miss a story
Email address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .
NYC Parks / D. Avila
By
Sophia Chang
Published Dec 26, 2020
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
We rely on your support to make local news available to all
Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Now that Christmas has come and gone, let Mulchfest commence.
The city’s Parks Department will begin grinding up, or mulching, Christmas trees starting Saturday through January 9th at 67 drop-off sites around the city.
The next two Saturdays - January 2nd and 9th - are especially ripe opportunities for New Yorkers to bring their real trees (no fake ones) to one of the 33 chipping sites between 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Stay for the thrill of watching your tree get fed into the wood chipper, and you can take home some mulch ostensibly from your very own tree. (Be sure to bring your own bag for mulch).
The city’s collection of mulch will also be used to grow and feed city trees and plant life.
“Our goal is to take a lot of that out of the landfill, and to make sure it's chipped and to make sure it goes back, basically recycling, by putting it for mulch in our parks and our trees and also for people to take it home,” Parks Commissioner Mitchell Silver said.
This year Christmas trees were at a premium because of multiple factors, including closed borders with Canada — where so many of New York City's tree vendors come from — and spiking demand driven by pandemic holiday blues, along with a diminished supply because of the 2008 recession, when fewer trees were planted, as well as other factors, such as extreme weather in recent years.
If you’re looking to throw out your tree, the city’s Department of Sanitation will begin cubside collection starting January 4th through January 15th. The trees will be picked up in special tree-dedicated trucks so do not be alarmed if your tree is left behind after trash and recycling trucks roll through, the DOS says.
Residents should remove all tinsel, lights, ornaments and other decorations from their discarded trees and take them off their stands.
DOS typically recycles about 200,000 real trees each year. The collected trees are chipped and recycled into compost that the Parks Department will use in parks and community gardens.
For the artificial tree people out there -- you can deconstruct your tree for recycling with the appropriate metal, glass and plastic components.
Tagged
christmas tree
mulchfest
Sophia Chang
Sophia Chang is a former WNYC and Gothamist reporter.
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE arts-entertainment
The hottest way to show you're an authentic New Yorker is… riding a Citi Bike?
Thanks to Dua Lipa, Kim Kardashian, Timothée Chalamet and more, the rideshare program is having a moment.
By
Lindsay Lee Wallace
Published Oct 8, 2026
Is NYC’s hottest attraction the free observation deck at 1 Centre Street?
If you're playing tourist in your own town, this is an in-demand option.
By
James Ramsay
Arts & Entertainment
Is NYC’s hottest attraction the free observation deck at 1 Centre Street?
If you're playing tourist in your own town, this is an in-demand option.
By
James Ramsay
What happens when NYC kids take lessons in rock music? Really good bands.
By
Jayson Greene
Inside a photographer's journey to visit every neighborhood in New York City
By
Sonia Rao
Banned books and Winnie the Pooh: October in NYC libraries
By
Alec Hamilton
Never miss a story
Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.
Sign upEmail address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .