Tompkins Square Park

Parks And New Yorkers Have A Record Setting Weekend At Mulchfest 2012

This weekend, Parks Commissioner Adrian Benepe joined State Senator Daniel Squadron and Council Member Rosie Mendez at Tompkins Square Park for the 16th annual MulchFest, a citywide event where Christmas trees are recycled by converting them into wood chips. New Yorkers participated by bringing their trees to 70 locations throughout the five boroughs. This year’s MulchFest recycled a record-setting 24,231 trees.

“We are thrilled to see so many New Yorkers chip in to make their city more sustainable by bringing their Christmas trees to Parks’ 16th annual MulchFest,” said Commissioner Benepe. “Recycling your tree leads to less waste at landfills, and more mulch for the city’s flowers, shrubs, and more than 500,000 trees planted under MillionTreesNYC. We encourage all New Yorkers to resolve to “go green” in 2012.”

“The Department is very pleased to partner with the Department of Parks and Recreation to provide Christmas tree collection and recycling options for residents that results in environmentally valuable benefits for our neighborhoods,” said Sanitation Commissioner John J. Doherty. “Our curbside tree collection program and MulchFest allows residents to take part in the recycling process and permits them to even reuse their composted Christmas trees to fertilize for the spring.”

Parks, in partnership with the Department of Sanitation and GreeNYC, provides New Yorkers with a fun and convenient opportunity to recycle their Christmas trees and pick up mulch for their gardens. MulchFest 2012 brought more than 24,000 trees from around the city. New Yorkers from Manhattan brought out the most trees of any borough at 9,789, followed closely by Brooklyn’s 9,450. Queens’ residents brought out 2,405 Christmas trees. The Bronx chipped 1,416 trees while 835 were mulched at the event on Staten Island. The amount of trees recorded this year is 616 trees above the total for 2010, which held the previous record, and is 7,726 more than last year’s total.

Recycling trees we can’t plant helps MillionTreesNYC, an initiative to plant one million trees by 2017, 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.

This year’s event was sponsored by Cabot Cheese, Hot 97.1 FM, and 98.7 KISS FM.

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Tompkins Square