Tips for Recycling Holiday Lights

As you dig through that box of decorations that you so hastily put away the year before, you may come across some tangled strings of lights, or discover that new ones are needed. Before tossing that tangle or heading for the store, consider the next step for those lights could be either reuse or recycle.

Keep in Mind

• Christmas trees are involved in about 300 fires each year. These fires result in 14 deaths.
• When purchasing strings of lights, double-check that the wire has a holographic “UL Listed” tag (this ensure that the product has been tested and evaluated for certification by UL’s laboratories).
• Recycle any strings with broken sockets, frayed or exposed wires or those that have loose connections.
• When plugging in multiple strings to increase length, do not exceed more then three consecutive strings of lights.
• Save energy and be safe by turning off holiday lights when you leave home or go to bed. Utilize a timer to make this processes easier.

Shine the Light: Recycle

Though most curbside recycling programs do not take stringed lights, some communities may be having events for collection during the holiday season. If not, the company HolidayLEDs.com will accept your old lights via mail. What do they do once they get them?

Once received, according to HolidayLEDs.com, “the lights will be processed and any material that cannot be recycled (i.e. loose bulbs) is discarded.” Once enough people send in their old lights, they take the large amount to a recycling facility located in Jackson, Miss. “The recycling company puts the lights through a commercial shredder, which chops the lights up into little pieces. The pieces are then further processed and sorted into the various components that make up the lights (pvc, glass, copper.) The materials are separated and transported to a region center for further processing.”

In addition to recycling your old lights, HolidayLEDs.com also emails you a coupon for 15 percent off any purchases made on their site.

Keep on Sparkling

If you can’t use your old ones based on style change, keep in mind the many reuse ideas that can give your holiday lights a second life:

• Sell them online or trade them for other goods
• Donate them to a charity, school or a thrift store
• Use them as night lights
• Use them to decorate a room or patio
• If they run off batteries, use them as lighting on your next camping trip or outdoor adventure