FYI: The fact that the city won’t be picking up Christmas trees for recycling this year was almost lost yesterday in Mayor Bloomberg’s cheery launch of MulchFest, his “expanded” Christmas tree recycling program. Due to the budget crisis, trees left on the curbside will be hauled to the dump. In order to “continue an environment-friendly tradition,” as Bloomberg suggested at City Hall yesterday, residents will have to haul their own trees to Department of Parks and Rec recycling sites. That’s the expansion part: the number of drop-off points has tripled from 12 to 36. [1/3/03]