Once the presents under the tree have been opened on Christmas Day and it’s time to start putting the ornaments away, New Yorkers will again have the opportunity to turn their Christmas trees into mulch to help protect the planet.
The NYC Parks’ Department announced that its annual Mulchfest tree-chipping campaign is back, beginning Dec. 26 and running through Jan. 12. As part of the seasonal event New Yorkers can environmentally recycle their holiday trees at local parks, with drop-off sites located in all five boroughs.
New Yorkers can also go home with mulch this year. NYC Parks will host a “chipping weekend,” when Big Apple residents can watch their holiday trees get chipped on Saturday and Sunday, Jan. 11 and 12, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Throughout the weekend, New Yorkers can bring their tree to a chipping site, watch it be chipped, and bring home a bag of nutrient-rich mulch.
“Mulchfest is as much about nourishing our city’s living infrastructure as it is about building community by bringing neighbors together to practice sustainability and environmental responsibility,” Sue Donoghue, NYC Parks commissioner, said.
The commish added that last year, NYC recycled more than 46,000 trees—and she is hoping for even more in 2025. Mulch made from the Christmas trees is used to help keep other trees happy and healthy by increasing soil fertility and keeping weeds at bay.
Banking company Citi is sponsoring this year’s event. Starting Dec. 26, 75 mulch sites will be open citywide, in parks including:
Bronx:
- Friends of Brook Park Community Garden (E. 141st Street and Brook Avenue)
- Pelham Bay Park (Parking lot at Middletown Road and Stadium Avenue)
- Van Cortlandt Park (at the Golf Course at Bailey Avenue and Van Cortlandt Park South)
Brooklyn:
- Prospect Park (at Prospect Park West and Third Street)
- McCarren Park (Lorimer Street and Driggs Avenue)
- McGolrick Park (Monitor Street and Driggs Avenue)
Manhattan:
- Marcus Garvey Park (E. 122nd Street and Madison Avenue)
- Central Park (at W. 65th Street, W. 81st Street and E 106th Street)
- Washington Square Park (Fifth Avenue and Washington Square North)
Staten Island:
- Conference House Parking Lot (Hylan Boulevard and Satterlee Street)
- Clove Lakes Park (Cheshire Place and Clove Road)
- Willowbrook Park (Richmond Avenue and Eton Place)
Queens:
- Juniper Valley Park (80th Street between Juniper Boulevard North and South)
- Roy Wilkins Park (177th Street and Baisley Boulevard)
- Rockaway Beach (at Shore Front Parkway and Beach 94th Street)
