MMWA Holiday Light Recycling Drive returns Nov 15 - Jan 15

After the overwhelming response to Mid-Michigan Waste Authority’s first ever Holiday Light Recycling Drive last year, MMWA is again teaming up with several community partners to make the upcoming holidays a little greener.

The project kicks off on America Recycles Day – November 15 – just as many people are pulling out their holiday decorations for the season. It runs through January 15, 2017.

Last year, the drive collected more than one ton of unwanted holiday lights, keeping thousands of strings of lights out of the landfill

Several new drop-off sites have been added this year, to make it even more convenient for area residents to participate. All sizes and styles of indoor and outdoor string lights can be donated.

Residents can drop off their lights at twelve locations throughout Saginaw County, plus the CAN Council’s Bay City office. Collection bins can be found at the following drop-off points: Ace Hardware, 207 W Broad St, Chesaning; Bridgeport Twp Governmental Center, 6206 Dixie Highway, Bridgeport; The CAN Council, 1311 N Michigan Ave, Saginaw & 715 N Euclid Ave, Bay City; James Twp Hall, 6060 Swan Creek Rd, Saginaw; Kochville Twp Office, 5851 Mackinaw Rd, Saginaw; Mid Michigan Waste Authority 2063 S Miller Rd, Saginaw; Richland Twp Administrative Office, 1180 N Hemlock Rd, Hemlock; Saginaw Twp Dept of Public Services, 4870 Shattuck Rd, Saginaw; St. Charles Village Office, 110 W Spruce St, St. Charles; Thomas Twp Public Safety Building, 8215 Shields Dr., Saginaw; Tittabawassee Twp Park (during Freeland Light Show) 9200 Midland Rd, Freeland; Zilwaukee City Administration Building, 319 Tittabawassee Rd., Saginaw.

When deposited in a landfill, it takes between 100 and 1,000 years for holiday lights to decompose, but through the recycling drive old lights will find new life.

MMWA is pleased to join forces this year with Gary Shepard, organizer of the popular Freeland Light Show, which runs December 1 through January 1 at Tittabawassee Twp Park, with shows from 5:30 pm to 10:20 pm daily. Visitors to the show may drop off lights at the collection bin located in the park. The lights will be processed by Rifkin Scrap Metal and Iron, a local company that will send the constituent materials to a processor. The refined materials will then move on to manufacturers to beused in new products.

Rifkin is providing a rebate for the lights, with all proceeds going to the CAN (Child Abuse and Neglect) Council of the Great Lakes Bay Region.

Getting rid of old holiday lights is also a great opportunity to make the switch to LED lights, which last longer, and are more energy efficient and durable.

Mid-Michigan Waste Authority is a government entity providing comprehensive residential solid waste services to approximately 203,000 residents in 35 communities across the greater Saginaw Valley. To learn more about MMWA, visit www.recyclemotion.org.