Say ‘fir-well’ to your Christmas tree: Mulchfest is back

Sick of your Christmas tree taking up space in your living room? There is an easy (and sustainable) way to ditch it. Starting December 26 and running through January 7, the city’s annual Mulchfest offers New Yorkers 72 sites across the five boroughs to drop off Christmas trees to be composted. Those who bring their trees to one of 32 chipping sites on the weekend of January 6 will even get to take a bag of mulch home.

NYC Parks and the Department of Sanitation use the mulch from the trees to improve plant life across the city and recycle wood that would otherwise end up sitting in garbage dumps. The city’s plant life, from the thousands of trees that line the city streets to foliage in parks, benefits from the mulch. More than 58,300 trees were recycled last year, according to Parks.

“Parks is thrilled to be kicking off this year’s Mulchfest! Last year, New Yorkers went above and beyond in their tree-cycling efforts, setting a new Mulchfest record of more than 58,000 trees,” NYC Parks Commissioner Sue Donoghue said.

“Thank you to everyone who continues to make this event happen each year for contributing to our city’s sustainability efforts, including our sponsors at Citi. Mulching nurtures soil health and allows the community to get involved in sustainable practices, creating a shared sense of environmental stewardship. Here’s to breaking the record again at Mulchfest 2024!”

After removing all lights and ornaments from your tree, you can drop it off at one of 72 sites across the city:

Bronx
Bronx River House Parking Lot at Starlight Park
Friends of Brook Park Community Garden
Co-Op City
Metropolitan Oval Parkcheter
Pelham Bay Park
Soundview Park
St. James Park
Van Cortlandt Park – Golf Course
Williamsbridge Oval Park

Brooklyn
Amazing Garden
Brooklyn Bridge Park Pier 3 Plaza
Brooklyn Bridge Park Pier 5 at Bridge Park Drive
Brooklyn Heights Promenade
Brower Park
Cobble Hill Park
Coffey Park
Domino Park
Fort Greene Park
Green Space at 222 Fifth Avenue
Herbert Von King Park
Maria Hernandez Park
Marine Park
McCarren Park
McGolrick Park
Myrtle Village Green
Owl’s Head Park
Prospect Park – Lincoln Road and Ocean Avenue
Prospect Park – Park Circle at Parkside
Prospect Park – West and Third
Sunset Park
Washington Park

Manhattan
Battery Park
Carl Schurz Park
Central Park – West 106th Street
Central Park – West 65th Street
Central Park – West 81st Street
Brigadier General Charles Young Playground
Corlears Hook Park
DeWitt Clinton Park
Inwood Hill Park
J. Hood Wright Park
Marcus Garvey Park
Morningside Park
Riverside Park
St. Nicholas Park
Stuyvesant Town
Tompkins Square Park
Union Square Park
Washington Square Park

Queens
Astoria Park
Captain Mario Fajardo Playground
Cunningham Park
Forest Park
Francis Lewis Park
Hunter’s Point South Park
John Golden Park
Juniper Valley Park
Queensbridge Park
Queens County Farm Museum
Rockaway Beach
Roy Wilkins Park
Travers Park
Torsney/Lou Lodati Playground
Windmuller Park at Lawrence Virgilio Playground

Staten Island
Clove Lakes Park
Conference House Park
Midland Beach – Lot 8
Silver Lake Tennis House
Tappen Park
Westerleigh Park
Willowbrook Park
Wolfe’s Pond Park

The city’s Department of Sanitation will also begin conducting curbside Christmas tree collections for mulching and recycling starting Friday, January 5 through Saturday, January 13.

Are you interested in volunteering at Mulchfest? Learn more about how to get involved here. More information on Mulchfest and a full list of Mulchfest drop-off and chipping sites can be found here.