Here's Where To Drop Your Christmas Tree On The Upper West Side

UPPER WEST SIDE, NY — Instead of leaving your Christmas tree on the sidewalk after the holidays this year, there's a less wasteful way to dispose of the used-up conifer: drop it at one of the city's dozens of mulch sites.

This year, "Mulchfest 2021" runs from Dec. 26 to Jan. 9. It includes tree drop-off sites around Manhattan, where the Parks Department will take each tree and break it into wood chips to nourish city parks.

A few of the sites will also offer free mulch for New Yorkers to take home and nourish their own gardens.

Here are the Mulchfest sites around the Upper West Side:

• Central Park: West 65th Street and Central Park West (drop-off only)
• Central Park: West 81st Street and Central Park West, at bridle path (chipping site)
• Riverside Park: West 83rd Street and Riverside Drive (chipping site)

The chipping sites are open on two Saturdays, Jan. 2 and Jan. 9, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. People are asked to bring their own bags to take some free mulch home.

Remember to take off all lights, ornaments and netting before bringing a tree to a Mulchfest site, the Parks Department asks.

Last year's Mulchfest collected a record 48,230 trees for recycling, from residents as well as tree vendors who dropped off their unsold trees. The event has run for more than 20 years.

View the full list of Mulchfest sites around New York here.