Now that Christmas is officially over, you might be wondering how to properly dispose your holiday tree — whether it is real or artificial.<\/p>\n
With the expansion of New York City’s curbside composting program, New Yorkers no longer have to wait for specific days to dispose their Christmas tree.<\/p>\n
City residents can place their real Christmas trees and holiday wreaths at the curb on their weekly composting and recycling day, according to the NYC Department of Sanitation<\/a>.<\/p>\n The trees and wreaths should be set at the curb next to other compostable materials, including food scraps and yard waste, for collection.<\/p>\n Residents should remove all decorations, ornaments and stands before putting their trees out for collection. Trees should not be wrapped in plastic bags.<\/p>\n ALSO READ | NYC’s curbside composting program expands citywide<\/a><\/p>\n Tanya Rivero has the latest on a composting program that is now available in the Bronx, Manhattan and Staten Island after the city previously launched the program in Queens and Brooklyn.<\/p>\n Once collected, trees are chipped, mixed with leaves and recycled into compost or renewable energy for the city.<\/p>\n If you are looking to dispose an artificial tree, you should remove the metal base and trunk and place those parts with other metal recycling.<\/p>\n Alternatively, you can also recycle your Christmas tree through New York City Parks’ annual Mulchfest event.<\/p>\n Between December 26, 2025 and January 11, 2026, New Yorkers can haul their tree to a select Mulchfest location across the city, where they will be turned into wood chips used to nourish trees and make the city greener.<\/p>\n Those who participate in Mulchfest on “Chipping Weekend” (Saturday, January 10 and Sunday, January 11) will get to take a home their very own bag of mulch, which can be used for the backyard or even to make a winter bed for a street tree.<\/p>\n You can find a Mulchfest location near you on the NYC Parks website<\/a>.<\/p>\n According to NYC Parks, more than 52,500 trees were recycled in 2024.<\/p>\n ———- Submit a tip or story idea to Eyewitness News<\/p>\n
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