How To Recycle Old Christmas Lights

For anyone who gets serious about holiday decorating, the older, incandescent style of Christmas tree lights can be a real drag. They burn out all too frequently—in some older models completely knocking out the entire chain—and they can draw so much electricity to burn a big hole in your wallet. Even Patch felt compelled to offer up to $500 to pay for the electric bills of the finalists in our Deck The House holiday lights contest this year!

Now, two Minnesota nonprofits are urging people to switch to more energy-efficient LED-based lights, and giving people a way to recycle their old lights. The Recycling Association of Minnesota and Clean Energy Resource Teams are working together to coordinate five drop-off locations in Southwest Minneapolis, and 414 others statewide.

Drop-offs available at:

• in Fulton
• in Linden Hills
• Diamond Lake Hardware in Windom
• in Lynhurst
• in Kingfield