Fir sure: Another Mulchfest is revving up
BY TEQUILA MINSKY
Parks Commissioner Mitchell J. Silver
joined a bevy of other city offi cials last
month to offi cially declare Mulchfest a
part of the city’s holiday tradition.
The idea is also to encourage New Yorkers
to make eco-friendly mulching a family activity,
instead of “pine-ing” for their trees postholiday.
It might have seemed a little early to kick
things off, but the goal is to get the public into
the spirit with new branding and a new campaign
to bid holiday trees “fi r-well” now that
the season is coming to an end.
Mulchfest’s new look celebrates New Yorkers’
post-holiday tradition of carrying, carting
or dragging their trees to a local park for
mulching.
An illustrated cast of diverse characters are
shown using bikes, strollers, teamwork and
other creative methods to get their trees to the
chippers, where their evergreens can be turned
into mulch to help reduce waste, and protect
and nourish other trees and plants throughout
the city.
With a total of 68 sites, including parks and
Greenthumb gardens, New Yorkers can drop
off their trees between Jan. 4 and Jan. 14. Dates
have been extended this year for those who celebrate
Three Kings Day.
On the fi nal weekend of Mulchfest, Jan. 13-
14, at 31 chipping sites, people can also get a
bag of mulch to take home.
Former City Councilmember Rosie Mendez got a bag of mulch from Parks Commissioner Mitchell
Silver after chipping a Christmas tree at Washington Square at the kickoff of Mulchfest last month.
Mendez is now Borough President Gale Brewer’s community liaison.
Former Councilmember Rosie Mendez shows how it’s done at the kickoff
$1,500
SAVINGS
of Mulchfest last month.
PHOTOS BY TEQUILA MINSKY
Weather permitting, the Department
of Sanitation will collect and compost
clean trees left curbside from Wed., Jan.
2 through Sat., Jan. 12. Silver made a
point that these trees should not be in a
bag, but should remain “naked.”
The mulch is used in planting beds
and community gardens around the
city. Mulch maintains tree and plant
health by deterring weeds, retaining
moisture, preventing compaction, adding
nutrients to the soil and keeping
roots warm.
In recent years, Parks has been
mulching between 25,000 and 30,000
trees annually.
Saving a Life EVERY 11 MINUTES
HELPI’ve fallen and I can’t get up!®
with
GPS!
® Get HELP fast, 24/7,
anywhere with
For a FREE brochure call:
1-800-404-9776
Schneps Media TVG January 3, 2019 11