Brooklynites from across the borough made executive decisions last weekend and carted their space-consuming, needle-shedding, holiday-specific pine trees to nearby parks for Mulch Fest, that annual return-to-reality ritual that offers up the plants to the earth from whence they came, by way of a giant wood-chipper.
One Prospect Lefferts Gardens resident who turned his former apartment center-piece into municipal weed-blocker and fertilizer said that the event has become a tradition for him.
“I’m a gardener, so I appreciate being able to see my tree become compost and mulch instead of just seeing it tossed in the back of a sanitation truck,” said Bruce Miller.
Mulch Fest takes place at parks across the borough and allows tree donors to take home a bag of mulch each.
Reach reporter Noah Hurowitz at nhurowitz@cnglocal.com or by calling (718) 260–4505. Follow him on Twitter @noahhurowitz
TEAMWORK MAKES THE DREAM WORK: Mia Shenderovsky and her brother Liam haul their tree to its fate in Marine Park.
Photo by Georgine Benavuto
ADIOS: Parks employee Jamel Pondexter feeds the beast with a discarded Christmas tree in Marine Park.
Photo by Georgine Benavuto
SPITTING IMAGE: The chipper spews out the remains of the tree in Marine Park.
Photo by Georgine Benavuto
CIRCLE OF LIFE: Mary Cawog shovels trees-turned-chips onto the ground in Prospect Park on Jan. 10.
Photo by Elizabeth Graham
CHIPPING IN: A parks department worker stuffs a Christmas tree into a wood-chipper in Brooklyn’s backyard.
Photo by Elizabeth Graham
THE OLD-FASHIONED WAY: Charles Collins of Ditmas Park pedaled his Christmas tree to Prospect Park on Jan. 10 for Mulch Fest.
Photo by Elizabeth Graham
WIDE LOAD: A truck dumps wood-chips at Williamsburg’s McCarren Park on Jan. 11.
Photo by Jason Speakman
O, CHRISTMAS TREE!: Michael and Georgia Rainey of Greenpoint share a last moment with their tree at Mulch Fest in McCarren Park.
Photo by Jason Speakman
ON THE SPOTS: Sabrina Silva with her wreath in Bay Ridge’s Owl’s Head Park.
