Here's Where Upper East Siders Can Drop Their Christmas Trees

UPPER EAST SIDE, NY — Instead of leaving your Christmas tree on the sidewalk after the holidays this year, there is a less wasteful way to dispose of the used-up conifer — drop it at one of the city's dozens of mulch sites, including a few in and around Upper East Side.

This year, "Mulchfest" runs from Dec. 26 to Jan. 8. 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.

A few of the sites will also offer free mulch for New Yorkers to take home and nourish their own gardens or street trees.

Trees can be dropped off at any Mulchfest location during park hours until Jan. 8, while the "chipping" sites will have their mulch giveaways the weekend of Jan. 7-8, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. both days.

Here are the Mulchfest sites around the Upper East Side:

• Carl Schurz Park: East 86th Street and East End Avenue (chipping site)
• Central Park: West 65th Street and Central Park West (drop-off only)
• Central Park: West 81st Street and Central Park West, at the bridle path (chipping site)
• Central Park: West 106th Street and Central Park West (drop-off only)

Remember to take off all lights, ornaments and netting before bringing a tree to a Mulchfest site, the Parks Department asks.

In 2020, Mulchfest collected 48,230 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.

View the full list of Mulchfest sites around New York here.