WESTERVILLE – As the holiday season comes to a close, people who live in and around Westerville have some options to get rid of old light strands, and maybe get something out of it.
Westerville
The Westerville Electric Division is offering residents a chance to recycle their holiday lights and receive energy-efficient LED bulbs in return. The program runs through the end of January and allows participants to exchange up to three strands of holiday lights for a single LED bulb.
To participate, residents must bring their lights to the Electric Division at 139 E. Broadway Ave. from Monday to Friday between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. Strands can also be dropped off in marked bins at the facility anytime, regardless of whether residents want to participate in the exchange program.
This initiative helps to reduce waste and keep holiday lights out of landfills. Rumpke, the City’s refuse and recycling contractor, asks customers not to dispose of holiday lights in recycling bins as they can become tangled in equipment.
By recycling the lights through this program, they will be processed by a scrap metals and materials vendor at no cost to the City. The program also helps to reduce the strain on the City’s power grid by removing inefficient light bulbs and promoting the use of energy-efficient LED bulbs.
In addition to holiday lights, the Electric Division also accepts light bulbs and batteries year-round. For more information, residents can call the Electric Division at (614) 901-6700 or email [email protected].
Genoa Township
In Delaware County, Genoa Township is accepting holiday lights for recycling at Township Hall at 5111 S. Old 3C Highway during normal business hours through January 13. There’s no free light bulb, but the township says it will help keep the strands from getting tangled in specialized sorting equipment.