Ace Hardware to recycle lights

For the fourth consecutive year, Ace Hardware stores across Colorado, Wyoming and New Mexico are accepting strands of holiday lights for recycling to benefit Lights For Life. Lights For Life is a nonprofit organization that strives to make life easier for kids with cancer and their families. This year, Ace Hardware stores will also accept extension cords for recycling.

Lights For Life sells the donated light strands and extension cords to a recycling company for the copper and PVC they contain. The money raised is used to help children with cancer and their families cover the cost of medical bills and other expenses not covered by insurance, as well as to fund kids' camps and childhood cancer research.

Last year, Ace Hardware customers across the three states donated more than 30,000 pounds of holiday lights to the campaign, raising $14,000 for families of children diagnosed with cancer and bringing the total amount of lights donated by local Ace customers since 2008 to more than 77,000 pounds. Local stores hope to increase this year's donation by 50 percent and have set a goal of collecting 45,000 pounds of holiday lights and extension cords during the 2011 holiday season.

"Every year, more and more shoppers are making the switch to longer-lasting, more energy efficient LED light strands, and we wanted to give people an easy way to put their old light strands and extension cords to good use," said Clark Evans, manager of Orchards Ace Hardware in Loveland. Orchards Ace shoppers alone have donated more than 14,000 pounds of lights over the past four years. "Last year we were able to help the families of two Rocky Mountain Region children with cancer as a results of this program, and we hope consumers pitch in to help us do the same again this year."

According to Consumer Reports, a typical homeowner spends approximately $11 in energy costs to burn 50 feet of traditional lights for 300 hours, while the same use of LED lights costs less than 15 cents. LED lights are also more durable than incandescent lights, often lasting as much as ten times longer than traditional lights, and because LED lights burn cooler they are safer to use and reduce the risk of fire.

"Each year, more than 200 million strings of incandescent lights are sold in the U.S., and most of them end up in the landfill," said Linda Worthington, marketing director Lights For Life. "Just the small act of dropping your broken or old lights or extension cords in a collection bin at an Ace Hardware can make a big difference in the lives of the families of kids with cancer."

Holiday lights and extension cords can be dropped off at participating Ace Hardware stores between November 15 and February 15. The holiday light recycling program adds to the growing list recycling programs offered by area Ace Hardware stores. Many Ace Hardware stores also accept used compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs), mercury-containing thermostats, used cell phones and rechargeable batteries for recycling.