NYC Cancels Curbside Tree Recycling

Weeks after Christmas, the sidewalks of Park Slope are still covered in mounds of Christmas trees.

But Park Slope residents who kicked their tree to the curb in hopes of minimizing their carbon footprint are in for a surprise: this year, all trees are going straight to the dump.

"Due to a backlog of recycling and garbage pick up we had to cancel it," said a Department of Sanitation spokesperson. "It was a decision made by the department."

Thanks to New York City’s , the spokesperson said DSNY is unable to handle Christmas tree recycling, though other recycling has resumed.

The DSNY’s website still advertises that Christmas trees placed on the sidewalk will be recycled as part of the Department of Sanitation’s annual Christmas tree recycling program, but Park Slope residents hoping to recycle are simply out of luck. In addition to canceling curbside recycling, the city has scheduled no further dates this year.

Some Park Slope residents were outraged by the news.

“It’s terrible,” said Marcela Salas, a 17th Street resident. “Buying a Christmas tree already has a big enough environmental impact as it is. But this is why I have a plastic tree. You have to expect that the city might just throw it in the trash instead of recycle.”