Mulchfest 2015

Chipping while you wait

Jan. 10, 11; 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Clove Lakes Park, Cheshire Place and Clove Rd. Conference House Park, at Hylan Blvd. and Satterlee Street

Jan. 10: Mulchfest plus tree stewardship and walk Conference House Park, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Mulchfest 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. stewardship 1 p.m. tree identification walk

Drop-off only

, Jan 3 to Jan. 11

Father Macris Park, Fahy Ave. and Lamberts Lane Midland Beach Parking Lot #6 at Fr. Capodanno and Graham Blvd. Silver Lake Tennis House University Pl. and Revere St. Tappen Park, Stapleton



Curbside

Jan. 5, through Jan. 16.

STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. — Although seemingly unrelated Christmas trees and electronic equipment play a part in the holiday season. Their disposal is an opportunity to start off the year with some civic responsibility.

Throwing electronics in the garbage was never a good idea, and beginning this month it is against state law. So if you have upgraded computers, TVs or video games through the holidays and intend to get rid of the old stuff, check out the options for doing it without tossing them in the trash.

If observing the holidays also included a Christmas tree that was once alive, the Parks and Sanitation Departments are providing a number of ways to dispose of it that can benefit the environment. Through Mulchfest, trees are recycled to produce protective ground cover for street trees, community gardens or even your own backyard shrubs.

Conference House Park director John Kilcullen is making a day of it during Mulchfest, Jan. 10. In addition to dropping off trees, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., volunteers can help spread mulch on trees in the park from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. This helps insulate trees from the cold weather and retain moisture. Then at 1 p.m., take a tree walk to identify trees. With trees stripped of their foliage, the winter is a good time to view the architecture of the trees.

The choices are:

Chipping site Drop-off site Put it at the curb

ELECTRONICS DISPOSAL

The new year ushers in a new state regulation: It will be illegal for borough residents to toss in the trash or leave at curbside everything from computers and televisions to old fax machines and VCRs. (Associated Press)

According the to the Department of Conservation (DEC), keeping electronics out of the waste stream is important for a number of reasons. Most importantly, they contain toxins such as lead, mercury and cadmium that contaminate air, water and soil. Recycling also diverts thousands of pounds of waste from landfills and incinerators. Some of the materials can be reused.

Among the items included in the list are: computers and thier monitors, keyboards, mice and cables; fax machines, scanners and printers, and televisions and cathode ray tubes.

Other equipment that must also be recycled includes: VCRs, DVRs and DVDs; digital converter boxes, cable and satellite receivers (including digital media receivers), and electronic or video game consoles, including hand-held devices.

One easy way to dispose of electronics is coming up on Jan. 24 at the College of Staten Island where broken or unwanted electronics can be dropped off between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m.



The city Department of Sanitation suggests the following options to keep electronics out of the trash:

Use retail drop-off programs

Take advantage of free mail-back programs

Drop off at a recycling event