MulchFest is back!

Now that the holidays are over, you probably are wondering what to do with your holiday tree, let alone the earlier versions of the new electronic gifts you received.

Well, the Downtown Alliance has the answer.

This Saturday, we are hosting a MulchFest and Electronic Waste Recycling Event. The event—run in conjunction with the New York City departments of Parks & Recreation and Sanitation and the Lower East Side Ecology Center—will take place at the south end of Bowling Green Park starting at 10 AM.  MulchFest will run from 10 AM to 2 PM, and the e-waste event will run from 10 AM to 4 PM.

The weather is expected to be warmer this weekend (thankfully!) but in case it is cold we will have free hot apple cider and (a limited number of) cupcakes for anyone who ventures out. Last year, City Council Member Margaret Chin was on hand to help turn the trees into mulch, and this year we expect to collect hundreds of trees.

The New York City Department of Parks & Recreation asks anyone planning to drop off a tree to remove all lights and ornaments before bringing it over.

The Downtown Alliance will once again run a Chip Trip, a special Downtown Connection bus that stops only at major residential hubs: three stops in Battery Park City and three stops on the east side of the district. The Chip Trip bus will be clearly labeled and will run its route every half hour. Residents can board the Chip Trip bus with a tree and the bus will transport them to Bowling Green.

The locations are: corner of Wall and William streets; corner of John and Gold streets; Pearl Street between Fulton and Beekman streets; West Thames Street between Battery Place and South End Avenue; corner of South End Avenue and Albany Street; North End Avenue between Murray and Warren streets.

The event is cosponsored by the New York City Department of Sanitation, the New York City Department of Parks & Recreation, Con Edison, FiDi Association, Whole Foods, Crumbs, Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer, New York City Council Member Margaret Chin and Community Board 1.

The Lower East Side Ecology Center and Tekserve are hosting the e-waste event, and they will accept working and nonworking computers, monitors, printers, scanners, keyboards, mice, cables, televisions, videocassette recorders, DVD players, phones, audio/visual equipment, cell phones and personal digital assistants.

We hope to see you there!