This January, New Yorkers can leave their trashed Christmas trees by the curb for the curbside composting program to pick up.
In the fall of 2024, New York expanded the curbside composting program to all five boroughs. Both food scraps and yard waste are compostable, so Christmas trees are included. Trees will be taken to compost centers in the Bronx, or Staten Island, and turned into mulch, which can be used in parks and other community spaces.
This was not always the case. In previous years, tree-collecting trucks wandered the streets of New York for two weeks in January, gathering discarded trees. After Christmas in 2023, over 1,000 tons of Christmas tree waste were picked up. Of the five boroughs, Manhattan discarded the most trees (340 tons) and Staten Island discarded the least amount (72 tons).
Residents of New York can also bring their trees to several locations at public parks for mulching. As part of “Mulchfest,” parks from all five boroughs are chipping trees from December 26th until January 12th. Some sites are drop-off only. However, on January 11th and 12th, many sites will have Chipping Weekend, where families can take home a bag of mulch.
The various mulching opportunities available will reduce holiday waste and produce mulch “to nourish trees and make NYC even greener,” as the NYC Parks website explains. Mulch helps insulate trees, conserve water, reduce erosion, and limit weeds, so this program is beneficial to public parks in New York City and the residents who enjoy those parks. New York has come up with a great way to reuse discarded Christmas trees!
Sources:
“Which Borough Produces the Most Christmas Tree Waste?” by Josh Ocampo (December 26, 2024) https://www.nytimes.com/2024/12/26/realestate/which-borough-produces-the-most-christmas-tree-waste.html?searchResultPosition=3
Mulchfest — NYC Parks Website https://www.nycgovparks.org/highlights/festivals/mulchfest
“Curbside Composting: What to Do and What Not to Do” by Josh Ocampo (December 9, 2024) https://www.nytimes.com/2024/12/09/realestate/how-to-compost-nyc.html