Seasonal & Holidays
Here's Where Midtown And Hell's Kitchen Can Drop Their Christmas Trees
Time to finally take down that dead tree — it's the last weekend for Mulchfest.
HELL'S KITCHEN, NY — Clear your weekend calendar, it's time to dispose of the used-up conifer from last year's holiday season in the most fun and sustainable way possible by dropping it at one of the city's dozens of mulch sites during the "Mulchfest Chipping Weekend."
"Mulchfest" runs from Dec. 26 to Jan. 7 this year and it includes four tree drop-off sites close to the neighborhood, where the Parks Department will take each tree and break it into wood chips to nourish city parks.
It's #Mulchfest time in NYC!🎄 If you bought a real tree for the holidays, recycle it with us! Drop off your tree at a participating park — we'll chip it and make mulch to nourish our parks and street tree beds. Find a drop-off location at: https://t.co/jkXqMPVb4f pic.twitter.com/eCGu8O7SmN
— NYC Parks (@NYCParks) December 27, 2022
And at chipping sites, this weekend is when the action happens.
Find out what's happening in Midtown-Hell's Kitchenfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
The so-called "Chipping Weekend" is when parks department workers will feed your formerly treasured tree into an industrial wood chipper, and you can pick up a "tree-mento:" a bag of wonderful smelling mulch to use as you find fit.
Trees can be dropped off at any Mulchfest location during park hours until Jan. 7, while the "chipping" sites will have their mulch giveaways the weekend of Jan. 6-7, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. both days.
Find out what's happening in Midtown-Hell's Kitchenfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
Here are the Mulchfest sites around Midtown and Hell's Kitchen:
- DeWitt Clinton Park: 11th Avenue and West 53rd Street - Chipping
- Central Park: West 65th Street and Central Park West - Drop-off only
If lugging your tree beyond your curb is too much for 2024's first weekend, then ignore the Parks Department and follow the instructions of tree-petitive city agency, the Department of Sanitation, who are also beginning their curbside tree collection this weekend.
DSNY says their collected trees will either be chipped or processed as compost, and will collect curbside trees in Manhattan between Jan. 5 - Jan. 13
Remember to take off all lights, ornaments and netting before bringing a tree to a Mulchfest site or leaving it on the curb for DSNY collection, both agencies ask.
In 2022, Mulchfest collected over 58,300 trees for recycling, from residents as well as tree vendors who dropped off their unsold trees. The event has run for more than 20 years.
To look up all of the Mulchfest sites, click here.
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