Many people are replacing their holiday lights with LEDs and for good reason - they use less energy and last considerably longer than their incandescent predecessor. As an added bonus, you no longer have to worry about one burned out bulb leaving a section of your tree dark! So, what to do with those tangled strands of old lights?
Chucking your old lights in the trash might be the easiest solution, but with just a little extra effort, there are plenty of ways to recycle them instead.
Last month, large retailers like Home Depot, Sears and Kmart hosted events that recycled old lights with the purchase of new LED strands. While those programs may be over, many other chains are jumping on the bandwagon so check with local stores that sell LEDs to see if this is an option. Additionally, many towns and cities are introducing their own programs. The folks at HouseLogic put together this list for the 2011 season:
- If you live in Minnesota, their Recycle Your Holidays program takes old holiday lights at 400 sites (and it's happy to help you set up a collection point in your neighborhood). Vocational center workers with developmental disabilities disassemble the lights and the parts get recycled.
- When you recycle a string of old holiday lights at one of Crown-ACE Hardware's 17 stores in California, you get a $5 gift certificate redeemable toward a minimum $20 purchase of new holiday lights.
- Elgin Recycling is partnering with over three dozen Illinois cities including Wheaton, Evanston, and Lombard to collect holiday lights and extension cords. Elgin strips the materials and recycles the copper and plastic parts.
- Lowe's stores offer a convenient receptacle to drop off your old holiday lights for recycling, though it's not offering any rebates or coupons.
- Lastly, if you don't have a local holiday light recycling program, you can ship your lights to HolidayLEDs.com, which will send you a coupon good for a 25% discount on the LED holiday light sets it sells.
Has anyone come across additional recycling opportunities?
Read more: Holiday Lights Gone Out? There's a Recycling Program for That at HouseLogic
(Image: Meraki)
Dirty Little Secrets of Tidy Families
Hillary & Michael's Refined Roost
Good Food to Share 
The Big Book of Small, Cool Spaces 
Apartment Therapy Presents 
The Eight-Step Home Cure 
Nomade Express Slee...
My Staple Summer Cocktail Recipe: Campari & IPA Spritzer
Recipe: Ham, Cheddar & Chive Egg Bakes
Better yet, FIX them. I just ordered one of these, currently on special via Groupon:
http://www.groupon.com/deals/gg-lightkeeper-pro-quick-fix-trigger?p=9
Regardless of where you live in the U.S., you can also search Earth911.com to find local recycling options... for christmas lights and beyond!
I am not a Walmart shopper but they are recycling lights in the St Louis area - in store entry, in giant boxes, so no need to trek through the store, no coupons for future purchase that I noticed. I appreciate their recycling effort!
i didn't know about Earth 911! thanks!
http://munchtalk.blogspot.com/
I wonder if there's any fun dIY projects to use old lights in...
I keep all my old Christmas lights in big balls (like yarn) and keep them piled in a cute basket in my living room (or piled in my fireplace in the summer). They look super cute when plugged in, and you can't even tell when partial strands burns out!
great idea JesiC !
could put them in a clear vase as well.
Love the idea JesiC!
A little off topic - but I LOVE earth911. I found a place there to recycle big blocks of styrofoam that come around furniture, appliances, etc.
Just FYI, LED lights DO go out if one bulb is out. My boyfriend spent hours this year going through our 200 bulb strand of GE LED lights we bought LAST YEAR. He found 14 bad bulbs which he removed and then replaced (the sockets were totally corroded, I'm sure the actual bulbs were just fine). So we do have a section where all the bulbs work, but we also have a four foot section on the end with empty sockets. And we didn't keep the receipt or manufacture's information, so we can't even contact GE about replacing them, since they're supposed to last for 5 years. And Lowe's (where we bought them) has already taken down all of its Christmas decorations, so we can't even buy another strand to replace the bulbs.
I'll keep buying LED Christmas lights because of the energy savings, but for godssakes keep the receipts and the box! You never know.
Also - can you recycle LED lights at those places? We accidentally ruined a different strand trying to take the bulbs off to replace the GE bulbs, only to find with that brand the bulbs aren't actually supposed to be removed.
Yeah. I splurged and get the LEDs and they burned out after ONE SEASON. Not just one strand, all of them. I will just stick to the cheap incandescents that last a couple of years or more and cost less to buy in the first place. I think that are prettier anyway.
An idea I saw online, but have yet to try, is to stick the string of lights in a vase-like container and use it as a bed side lamp. You would have to drill a hole to let the powercord through.