By Gus Saltonstall
It just became easier to responsibly dispose of your Christmas tree across New York City, and on the Upper West Side.
On Wednesday, the Department of Sanitation announced that due to the expansion of the curbside composting program, city residents no longer have to wait for a specific time period to get rid of their trees. Instead, trees can be placed on the curb for collection on your compost days, which are the same days as the rest of your recycling gets picked up.
You can find your building’s collection schedule — HERE.
“Christmas trees are treated similarly to the other material the Department collects for composting, where food scraps, food-soiled paper products and yard waste are turned in to finished compost or renewable energy,” according to the Department of Sanitation.
While Christmas trees can now simply be placed on the sidewalk, the Parks Department is still running its annual “Mulchfest.”
This year, “Mulchfest” runs from December 26 to January 12. It includes tree drop-off sites across the city, where the Parks Department will take each tree and turn it into wood chips to nourish city green spaces.
Last year, the city recycled over 46,000 trees during Mulchfest. The Upper West Side lagged in the amount of Christmas trees recycled in 2023, so hopefully the new responsible option to leave trees on the sidewalk will help the neighborhood’s numbers.
Here are the city-approved locations on or near the Upper West Side and Morningside Heights where you can drop your tree for Mulchfest, including two where your trees will get chipped.
- Central Park, West 67th Street: West 67th Street and Central Park West (north side of Tavern on the Green entrance) — Drop-off only
- Central Park, West 81st Street: West 81st Street and Central Park West at the Bridle Path — Chipping
- Riverside Park West 83rd Street and Riverside Drive — Chipping
- Central Park, West 106th Street: West 106th Street and Central Park West — Drop-off only
- Morningside Park: West 123rd Street and Morningside Avenue — Drop-off only
Remember to take off all lights, ornaments, and netting before bringing a tree to a Mulchfest site or the sidewalk, the city asks.
This year, the Parks Department will host “chipping weekend” on January 11 and 12, when New Yorkers can watch their Christmas trees get chipped, and then bring a bag of the nutrient-rich mulch home with them.
“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,” Parks Commissioner Sue Donoghue said in a news release.
View the full list of Mulchfest sites around New York City here.
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No mention of using branches to fill in tree beds?
You’re out of your element, Gus
While not so bad in theory, this can end up being a headache. Once the branches dry out, they turn brown and unattractive — and this happens pretty soon, if they are cut from an already dried out Christmas tree. Then they drop their needles, which are sharp and impossible to rake out (Try planting among them in the spring: ouch!). The needles also acidify the soil, which isn’t great for many trees.
Just leave it on the curb. That’s what sanitation dept is paid to deal with.
If you believe how, you get rid of your Christmas tree matters, YOU are the reason Democrats LOST. Let’s get back to common sense. Your tree has no impact, Put it on the curb and find productive things to do.
Well said.
There are always trees left in Riverside Park in the island at 99th Street, where there’s a broad expanse of wood chips that gets replenished. Not sure if that’s an official drop spot? But appreciated by dogs and their owners each year.