Recycling Holiday Cheer and Greening Up New York

It's been four weeks, and I must admit I'm going to miss him when he's gone. You see, I've gotten used to having him around. He's tall and slender -- perfect for a New York City apartment -- and, I must say, quite dapper all dressed up.

Of course, I'm talking about Cupid. Yes, we chose to name him, and why not after one of Santa's reindeer? It's a Christmas tree, for goodness sake. And don't think we're "unusual" or "eccentric" for naming our tree. I have it on good authority that there's a Douglas fir in Brooklyn named Diane von FIR-stenburg.

Unfortunately, with the coming of the New Year comes the time to say goodbye to our beloved Cupid. And this year, we decided to participate in this weekend's MulchFest instead of simply kicking Cupid to the curb for the Sanitation Department to pick up God knows when. (For those interested, the New York City Department of Sanitation is still picking up Christmas trees to be recycled through Saturday, Jan. 15, a service we've taken advantage of for the past two years. Update (1/12/2011): As a result of the December blizzard, the Sanitation Department is not recycling Christmas trees left curbside.)

For MulchFest, the New York City Department of Parks & Recreation, the New York City Department of Sanitation and GreenNYC, which is a citywide effort to reduce our "carbon emissions by 30% by 2030," team up to host 70 sites throughout the five boroughs where residents can bring their Christmas trees to be turned into wood chips. Those wood chips are then "used to nourish trees and plants on streets and gardens citywide." Of course, if you've got yourself a green thumb, there are 35 chipping sites, where you can grab a bag of mulch for yourself.

We took Cupid to a drop-off location by Riverside Park with hopes that his wood chips will be sprinkled throughout our favorite Upper West Side green space. To be truthful, it was a bit anti-climatic to go to a drop-off only site, also known as a pile of evergreens at a designated location. So if you're looking for some sort of festivity, I recommend trying a chipping site. And as I said, there is no shortage of locations; you can check out a list and map of them here. And it wasn't just today; locations are open tomorrow, Sunday, Jan. 9, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

So, if you're a New Yorker and celebrate Christmas, chip in and lug your tree to the nearest location. If you've already taken down your decorations, make a mental note for next year. Or if you're just visiting the city, isn't this a great idea that should be replicated elsewhere?

Last year, almost 24,000 Christmas trees were recycled. Here's to hoping we top that -- or at least perfect it, with one very special Cupid.

Post and Photos by Krista K. Schmidt
Contributor to New York Insider