Press Releases

This weekend, Parks Commissioner Adrian Benepe joined New Yorkers in Manhattan’s Tompkins Square Park for the 14th annual MulchFest, a citywide event where Christmas trees are recycled by converting them into wood chips. New Yorkers participated by bringing their trees to more than 80 locations throughout the five boroughs. This year’s MulchFest recycled more than 23,000 trees —the highest in MulchFest history!

“New Yorkers helped the city stay green by bringing their Christmas trees for chipping at Parks’ annual MulchFest,” said Commissioner Benepe. “By recycling their Christmas trees, New Yorkers support the environment and the MillionTreesNYC initiative by providing wood chips that help trees, flowers and shrubs grow. Mulch was also made available to take home for participants own tree pits, private gardens and planting beds.”

The 14th annual MulchFest provides New Yorkers with a fun and convenient opportunity to recycle their Christmas trees and pick up mulch for their gardens. MulchFest 2010 brought 23,615 trees from around the city – a 38 percent increase from last year. New Yorkers from Manhattan brought out the most trees of any borough at 10,533, followed closely by Brooklyn’s 7,477. Queens’ residents brought out 2,683 Christmas trees. The Bronx chipped 2,100 trees while 822 were mulched at the event on Staten Island.

Recycling trees we can’t plant promotes the MillionTreesNYC initiative by providing mulch to keep the City’s newly planted trees, parks and green spaces healthy and beautiful. Woodchip mulch moderates soil temperatures, helps retain soil moisture and deters weed growth while slowly adding nutrients to the soil. The mulch will be used to line street tree pits and flowerbeds in parks. Wood chips may also be used in homes and gardens to enrich soil and control weeds.

The Department of Sanitation is also making curbside tree collections and transporting them to recycling sites through Friday, January 15. Last year, more than 160,000 Christmas trees were collected and recycled by the City – more than 17,000 through MulchFest.

This year’s event was sponsored by the Home Depot Foundation, Green NYC, Cabot Cheese, Arizona Beverage Co., Pop Chips, 98.7 KISS and 101.9 RXP Radio.

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