For the second year, Minnesotans' tangled, malfunctioning and out-of-style Christmas lights have a home other than the garbage can.
DUAL PURPOSE
The Recycling Association of Minnesota is sponsoring "Recycle Your Holidays," an initiative aimed at ramping up recycling and putting disabled Minnesota residents to work.
The association has lined up 320 locations statewide where Minnesotans can drop off unwanted lights. Association executive director Ellen Telander said 70 of those are Ace Hardware stores.
AN AMBITIOUS GOAL
According to Telander, the association set a target of 50,000 pounds of Christmas lights recycled last year and nearly doubled that. This year, the goal is 200,000 pounds. A pound is the equivalent of one strand of lights, Telander said.
Telander said once the Christmas light strands are gathered up, the bulbs are separated so wires and bulbs can be recycled separately.
"That's where the work is," she said. The goal this year is to provide work for 400 disabled Minnesotans. The program started Nov. 15, but the busiest recycling time is in the days ahead.
POST-HOLIDAY RUSH
"After people take down their Christmas trees it's going to go crazy," Telander said. Officially, the initiative ends Jan. 15, athough some sites -- including the Ace stores -- will continue to collect lights through January. The plan is to continue "Recycle Your Holidays" into the years ahead.
"We anticipate we'll do it again year after year until people don't have these lights anymore," Telander said.
