Hi.

I'm at the Elkhart Environmental Center in Elkhart, Indiana, and I've got some holiday lights that don't work, and I'm going to try to find out what I can do with them.

Hi, Ali.

Look, I have some lights that don't work.

Thank you.

And I know that here at the Elkhart Environmental Center, you have a light recycling program, right?

We do.

We have our holiday light recycling program.

That's great.

Tell us about it.

What's entailed?

Yeah.

So our holiday light recycling program is a partnership program that we do with shoe on recycling.

And this is an annual program that we do every single year with them.

Wonderful.

So when I was putting up those lights earlier, right before, it was probably late November, only half of the lights worked, and I didn't want to just throw them out because I didn't think that was right.

So tell us kind of what happens.

People bring their lights here and then what happens to them.

Great question.

So yeah, people are welcome to drop off their lights here to donate to us.

And then after the collection period ends, which is from about mid-November, November 15th to the end of January of the next year.

So this year, the end date will be January 31st, 2026.

Once that period ends, we will take these over to Shoe Pond to be able to recycle them.

And essentially, you're partnering with Shoe Pad and, you've been doing this for a number of years, right?

We have this is a program that first started in 2021.

Our coworker Ella actually was the one that helped get the ball rolling.

She was also looking for a place to recycle her holiday lights.

And she saw coupons website that they did recycle.

So she called them up to see if they actually did.

And they said, yes, we do.

And she said, oh, well, I work at the Elkhart Environmental Center.

Is this something you guys would be interested in maybe partnering together on?

And they said yes.

And so ever since then we've been doing this program with them.

Wonderful.

It's a great way to kind of, you know, not just put them in the trash, which isn't good.

And I know I shouldn't probably put them in like my regular recycling bin at home.

Right.

Why is that?

So the reason why we don't put our holiday lights in our regular recycling is because these get easily tangled up in the sorting machines at a lot of recycling and solid waste management centers.

And when that happens, usually the workers have to stop all the machinery, which you know, can take up time and money doing that, but also they actually have to physically get into the machines to physically untangle it, which can be kind of dangerous.

So to keep more people safe and to also help with efficiency, with recycling, there are organizations like Shoe Pine that can actually help recycle these more safely.

Wonderful.

Now, I noticed you have some, lights here.

Looks like somebody just dropped some off here on the ledge.

I did.

Some of them are, They don't have bulbs, but I was kind of curious, like, should I take the bulbs out?

Leave them in.

Does it matter?

Great question.

It depends.

So with our LED lights that we've been seeing a lot more of like these, you can leave the light bulbs on them.

And so you are more than welcome to just drop them right into a recycling bin like that.

Same thing with our, more regular holiday string lights that we see.

They may be a little bit older, like an incandescent, like incandescent or other LED type with this specific type of bulb.

These are also okay to leave the light bulbs on, so you can just drop them right in here.

The only strands that we asked that people remove the bulbs from are old fashioned glass bulb light strings.

So this one right here is an example of that.

So we've taken off all of the glass bulbs that would have been on there to then be able to recycle that.

And so she asks that if you're going to donate this specific type, if you can please remove the glass balls before you bring them here.

And once you do that, then you're more than welcome to put them right into our recycling bin.

Excellent.

And there's a bin outside so people can come even when the cabin isn't open here.

Right?

Correct.

So we have a bin inside of our visitors cabin, and our cabin is open Monday through Friday, 8 to 5.

So your guys are more than welcome to come in and say hello.

Drop off your Christmas lights in there.

However, a lot of people usually work 8 to 5 or 9 to 5.

Then we understand that.

So that's why we have an outdoor donation bin here.

And so any time that we're not open, you're more than welcome to stop by and drop off your lights into the donation bin out here underneath our bulletin board.

Okay.

That's perfect.

And it's easy to do.

You have to be an Elkhart resident.

No, you don't have to be, thankfully.

So anyone can come and visit, say hello, and drop off their old or broken Christmas lights and holiday lights.

So if folks are not nearby Elkhart, are there any other options?

There are a few more options.

Yes.

So shoe Pawn has a couple of different locations around the area.

All of these shoe pawn drive thru centers will accept the holiday string lights.

So there's a location here in Elkhart that will take them as well as over in Kalamazoo, Michigan that will take them as well.

There are also sometimes, local hardware stores that may participate in their own programs as well.

Places like Lowe's, Home Depot, Ace, True Value, menards.

They may be participating in their own sort of holiday light recycling program and may have a donation bin inside of their stores.

But before you bring your lights, make sure you call ahead because it depends on the location.

Good good good tip, good reminder.

And you know, I think of the holidays sometimes as being, you know, a little consumptive.

So some other tips on recycling things over the holidays.

Got any suggestions.

Definitely.

Yeah.

So of course we have our wonderful holiday light recycling program.

But other things you can do at home can be things as simple as just making sure that you check the labels on everything before you recycle, just to make sure you can, making sure that if you have any items that may have food residue on them.

Rinse them out really well before you place them in recycling.

So any cans or jugs that you may have used for cooking or baking just pencils out really well.

And then when in doubt, just call up your local recycling center just to make sure that something can be recycled before you put it in the recycling or check on their website.

They may have it listed there too.

That's great.

That's a great tip.

And I always encourage folks to ask around if they have a live tree.

Some places, some cities pick those up and you'll think about our wrapping, right?

Either reuse your wrapping paper or reuse gift bags as well.

Exactly.

This bag that you brought can easily be reused.

To actually put a Christmas gift is.

So make sure if you have any of these lying around or some from last year when you received gifts, feel free to reuse.

Those same ones are really fun to decorate, right?

So kids grandkids, get your nieces and nephews together to make that right.

Exactly.

Okay, Ali, thank you so much.

I am excited to have a good place to bring my broken and no longer usable lights so that it's safe for the environment and, got a good way to recycle.

And thanks for doing what you're doing.

Yeah, you can also recycle extension cords as well.

If you have them by chance.

Oh good tip.

Right.

So we're stringing our lights outside now.

The extension cord doesn't work.

Bring those into it.

Right.

Exactly.

Okay.

Perfect.

Thank you.

So much, Ali.

Thank you so much, Abby.

Hey, you know what else I found out from Ali in the holiday season of 2022, 2023?

They recycled 324 pounds of holiday lights, keeping it from the landfill.

That is outstanding.

So as the holiday season comes to a close, remember, you can drop your lights off through the end of January.

Check the Facebook page for the Elkhart Environmental Center, and even for Chopin or a recycling center near you.

Remember, you can find your own outdoor elements when you visit area parks and natural areas.

We'll see you soon.

You.