Carmel creates team to recycle Christmas lights

White’s Ace Hardware in Carmel has been decked out for the holidays for weeks. Though we have reached mid-December, the store shelves remain stocked with the latest L-E-D holiday lights. The aisles packed with Christmas lights raise the question, what will happen to the miles of shorted-out and flickering Christmas lights all of the packaged perfection on store shelves are set to replace? Turns out worn-out and fault Christmas lights can be dumped in countless recycle bins around Carmel including bins at White’s Ace Hardware and Carmel High School.

“We have been placing boxes around the whole school, decorating them, and promoting the event to all the students,” Said Carmel High School’s Maanya Rajesh, a member of the Carmel, Clay School Green Team. “We’re asking them to bring in any used lights to recycle. It’s a great way to reduce carbon emissions from landfills!”

Maanya’s Green Team has teamed up with White’s Ace Hardware, Carmel Utilities, and Technology Recyclers for the Holiday Light Recycling Program.

“Over the last nine years, we have collected more than six tons of holiday lights,” said Kelli Prader of the Carmel Utilities Department. So, that helps lower our carbon footprint and it’s also good for the environment.”

Indy-based Technology Recyclers handles that important recycling work year-round, mining the junk for valuable elements including copper and other materials.

“We call ourselves the official sponsors of tomorrow,” said Technology Recyclers partner Dale Needleman. “We’re trying to save the earth and everyone in it from recycling waste, so when you recycle your bulbs, they come to us. We take care of it. The copper is stripped out of the wire and that’s reused. None of it goes inside the landfill.”

If you miss the January 20th deadline in Carmel, you can drop holiday lights, batteries, outdated computers, and all sorts of tech trash at Technology Recyclers year-round.

To find out how you can recycle your holiday lights, click here.