You probably know by now that the MTA has sent many retired subway cars to other states to be used as artificial subterranean reefs off the eastern seaboard. But did you know that the MTA also recycles a lot of other transit-related material? more ›

New Yorkers kind of suck at the whole recycling thing, so maybe some changes to the program will help out. The Daily News reports that the City Council is proposing "the largest expansion of the city's recycling program since it began 21 years ago." Under the new plan public recycling bins will be added to sidewalks, bins for donated clothes will be placed around the city, a hazardous material program would be brought in, and more plastics would become a part of curbside recycling. All the changes would hardly cost the city a thing, according to City Council Speaker Christine Quinn, who says the expanded program will cut the amount of trash the city pays to dump. more ›

Today, NY1's Pat Kiernan excitedly recalls the first time seeing his name printed in the phone book... but that was then. Now, he asks, "Why is the phone company still delivering so many phone books to my apartment building?" In the age of Google, it's unlikely anyone uses these anymore — in fact, only two were taken from the giant stack in his lobby. more ›

New Yorkers have set a record by bringing in 23,600 Christmas trees to Mulchfest! The Department of Parks & Recreation says that's a 38% increase from last year's final tally. Meanwhile, the Department of Sanitation is still picking up curbside trees people have discarded (through the 15th). While the trees are chipped and used as mulch in city parks... should we really be patting ourselves on the back for killing the perfectly healthy trees in the first place? more ›

Reminder: Today from 10-2pm the Parks Department is holding its annual treecycling event at dozens of parks in all five boroughs. Remember to remove all ornaments and tinsel: Mother Earth does not appreciate shards of broken glass! And if you're a gardener, check the list for the locations that are giving away mulch— you just have to bring your own bag. more ›

There's a lot of Christmas tree carnage out there on the sidewalks — but before you add yours to the piles, think about bringing it to MulchFest this coming weekend. On January 9th and 10th, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., the Parks Department will be hosting the treecycling event at several sites in all five boroughs. So be green in 2010 and get your tree recycled into mulch that will nourish plantings around the city — just take off all the ornaments and tinsel first (though sparkly mulch sounds much prettier!). more ›

Those recyclables you're throwing away in the designated recycling bins at city parks... well, they're probably just going straight to the landfills. The NY Post reports that during their investigation they found that "not only are routine recyclables like bottles, cans and paper being sent to landfills, but so is other waste that is supposed to be trashed separately, such as animal carcasses, medical waste and bins of used kitchen oil." Who goes to the park to throw away their animal carcasses? Those are for the East River! more ›

Even with those handy little illustrated tip sheets on how to separate ones recycling from trash, New Yorkers are still confused! Or lazy. Or living in cramped quarters. The Daily News reports that we're throwing recyclables in the regular trash over half the time. Some blame confusion, while others point out there's simply not enough space in cramped NYC living quarters to have a separate container for everything. more ›