Even pulling a plastic bag filled with the questionable lights from the closet seemed wrong. The strand still didn't work after I swapped out the offending broken tiny bulb. Sure it might take about 10 years to break even on an LED strand investment, but I've had this heavy incandescent loop since 2003, when I taped it around a doorway in a burst of holiday spirit. And now look at it.
The little recycling diagram that city sent me doesn't say anything about holiday lights. Trashing them isn't an option. Environmental LED, a lighting products company based in Saline, Michigan, near Ann Arbor, says that if you send them your incandescent lights they'll recycle them. For free. The lights are then broken down into their individual components for use. The company is even throwing in a 15 percent-off coupon for new LED ones. Several other companies recycle the strands, too--search Earth911.com for "string lights."
Excuse me while I go get this package ready to send to Michigan. This is Queens, after all, and my half-strand won't cut it.
Photo Credit: Paul Bannister.
Tags: Electronics, Green Tech, LEDs, Light Bulbs, Recycling
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