Mulchfest Success

Posted March 19, 2017

Author – Beth Lappen

The WHNA Green Committee, in partnership with Milwaukee County Parks, the City of Milwaukee and the Urban Ecology Center, hosted the second annual tree recycling event, Mulchfest, on Saturday, January 7th, 2017. This was an opportunity for neighbors who celebrated the holidays with a live Christmas tree to recycle their tree instead of adding it to the landfill.

Trees transported to the park during Mulchfest were converted to mulch that will be used in our parks and on our boulevards. Despite frigid temperatures and an intimidating wind chill, volunteers and community members alike turned out for this event, driving, biking, carrying and dragging 251 trees. This was an even greater success than last year’s premier event that saved 180 trees from the landfill.

Neighbors that brought trees were asked a few quick questions before turning their trees over to be mulched, and the results are below. Thank you to all the neighbors and community members who participated in this event and responded to the brief survey.

90 participants were residents of Washington Heights
Residents from 27 other neighborhoods and municipalities participated
Participants learned about the event through online resources (37%), printed materials (30%), word of mouth (14%), community organizations (11%) and tv/radio (8%)

Plans for a third annual Mulchfest are already sprouting. The Green Committee is also discussing ways to expand this event to other neighborhoods in order to prevent the waste of even more trees. Meetings with Story Hill and Enderis Park neighborhoods, who also host annual tree recycling events, will be facilitated in these same efforts.

Is your tree or your neighbor’s tree still on the curb? It is not too late! You can still save it from a slow death in the landfill by driving it to one of Milwaukee’s Drop-Off Centers where it can be recycled. The centers are located at 3879 W Lincoln Ave, Milwaukee, WI 53215, and 6660 N. Industrial Road, Milwaukee, WI 53223. They are both open in winter on Tuesday through Saturday from 7:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m