How and where to get rid of your Christmas tree in NYC this year
Dec. 26, 2023, 10:01 a.m.
Even a beloved Christmas tree must eventually make its way down to the cold, hard curb, however daunting that may sound.
Fear not, New Yorkers: It’s easy to bid farewell to your Christmas tree, and it may even get another chance at life as garden mulch.
Brooklyn and Queens residents who already participate in curbside compost collection through the city’s sanitation department can now set out Christmas trees and wreaths on their usual collection day.
Residents of Manhattan, the Bronx and Staten Island can put their trees and wreaths on the curb starting Friday, Jan. 5 through Wednesday, Jan. 13.
Every tree that goes out for curbside pickup must be stripped of lights, tinsel, ornaments, plastic wrapping and stands.
If you see your tree lingering longer on the curb than you think it should, don’t panic — the sanitation department says Christmas trees are not always picked up immediately.
Once they are removed, the trees and wreaths are composted or chipped, mixed with leaves, and made into rich compost for the city’s parks, institutions and community gardens, according to the sanitation department.
Meanwhile, for DIY-composting enthusiasts, the sanitation department recommends that DIY-composting enthusiasts strip small evergreen branches and twigs from their trees and lay them 3 to 4 inches deep over the bare soil around street trees or in their own garden.
After the small branches are removed, the tree can be left out for regular compost or taken to Mulchfest, where Christmas tree lovers can say goodbye to their trees in person and get a little mulch bag memento to enrich their soil back home.
Mulchfest has a variety of drop-off locations around the city, which are open from Dec. 26 through Jan. 7.
For those looking for a bit more ceremony, “chipping weekend” is Saturday, Jan. 6 and Sunday, Jan. 7 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at various locations across the city.
Last year, the Mulchfest program recycled more than 58,300 trees, and the parks department is hoping to exceed that number this season.
If you have an artificial tree, your options are limited. The sanitation department instructs residents to take apart the tree’s base and pole, and recycle those pieces with metal, glass, plastic and cartons on recycling day.
It can also be set out as garbage.
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