FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE PR- 008-10 January 8, 2010 MAYOR BLOOMBERG AND PARKS COMMISSIONER BENEPE ANNOUNCE MULCHFEST 2010 WILL BE HELD THIS WEEKEND Christmas ‘Tree-cycling’ at Parks Throughout the Five Boroughs Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg and Parks & Recreation Commissioner Adrian Benepe today announced the launch of MulchFest, a citywide event where New Yorkers can recycle their Christmas trees by converting them into woodchips. This year, Parks & Recreation has designated 81 park sites to accept trees throughout the five boroughs on Saturday, January 9, and Sunday, January 10, between 10:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m. At many MulchFest locations, chippers will be on hand to turn trees to mulch and participants can take home woodchips for their own gardens and plants. The Department of Sanitation will also be making curbside tree collections and transporting them to recycling sites until Friday, January 15. Today's announcement was made in City Hall Park. The Mayor and Commissioner Benepe were joined by Sanitation Commissioner John J. Doherty. "It's time to chip in and tree-cycle your holiday tree for a mulch greener City," said Mayor Bloomberg. "To achieve our ambitious plan to plant one million new trees across the five boroughs over the next decade, we're going to need more mulch than ever. We use woodchips and mulch to insulate the soil in tree pits, hold moisture, and provide nutrients. Sites are located in parks in all five boroughs. New Yorkers can find a list of Mulchfest locations by visiting the City's web site at nyc.gov, or by calling 311." "New Yorkers can help the city stay green by bringing their Christmas trees for chipping at Parks' annual MulchFest," said Commissioner Benepe. "Last year, thousands of New Yorkers in all five boroughs brought more than 17,000 Christmas trees to be turned into mulch. By recycling their Christmas trees, New Yorkers support the environment and the MillionTreesNYC initiative by providing wood chips that help trees, flowers and shrubs grow. Mulch is also made available to take home for your own tree pits, private gardens and planting beds." "Sanitation is pleased to partner with Parks & Recreation to offer New Yorkers this special recycling service," said Commissioner Doherty. "DSNY will provide curbside tree collection through January 15th that will give an environmental benefit to our neighborhoods. We'll deliver your discarded trees to Parks & Recreation who'll chip them so that the tree mulch can be used to fertilize parks, ball fields and other public spots. All residents are encouraged to participate in MulchFest 2010 and bring their discarded trees to designated parks sites this weekend and help us do more for our City." In 2009, more than 160,000 Christmas trees were collected and recycled by the City with more than 17,000 coming through MulchFest. The mulch from last year's recycling was used throughout the year to nurture the City's greenspaces. New Yorkers are encouraged to take trees to designated sites and bring along bags to take home wood chips available at specified sites. All lights, ornaments and decorations must be removed from the trees before drop-off. Trees should not be placed in plastic bags. Woodchip mulch moderates soil temperatures, helps retain soil moisture and deters weed growth while slowly adding nutrients to the soil. The mulch may be used to line street tree pits and flowerbeds in parks. Woodchips may also be used in homes and gardens to enrich soil and control weeds. Below is the list of this year's designated MulchFest sites. Mulch is available at sites noted with an asterisk (*). For more information, please visit www.nyc.gov or call 311. Bronx *Metropolitan Oval Parkchester Brooklyn *Added Value Community Farm Manhattan *Bowling Green Park (Saturday only) Queens *Astoria Park Staten Island *Clove Lakes Park MEDIA CONTACT: Stu Loeser / Jason Post (212) 788-2958 Vickie Karp (Parks & Recreation) (212) 360-1311 Vito Turso (Sanitation) (646) 885-5020 |
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