Recycle Your Holiday in Mankato Area

It’s that time of year again, when masses of tangled light strings are discovered in boxes of holiday decorations. If they are tangled to the point of no return, there is a way to recycle them, rather than toss them in the trash.

Unwanted and non-working light strings and old extension cords are now recyclable in Greater Mankato, just in time for the holidays. The “Recycle Your Holidays” program is sponsored by the same group that brought away-from-home recycling, Message in a Bottle, to area convenience stores and car washes in Mankato.

Bins with the familiar “Recycle More in Greater Mankato” logo will be placed at businesses, churches and schools. MRCI WorkSource staff and clients will collect the strings, remove the light bulbs, and recycle all.

‘This is a great opportunity for clients to have paying jobs, to participate in the community and give something back to the community,” according to Linda Leiding, MRCI WorkSource Senior Vice President of Programs.

“In addition, this is a great, new way to preserve resources through recycling, rather than wasting resources,” says Blue Earth County Recycling Coordinator Jean Lundquist. “It’s also an opportunity for people to purchase energy-efficient light strings to replace the old ones.”

Recycle Your Holidays is a program by the Recycling Association of Minnesota (RAM). “It’s the second program of its kind in the nation,” according to RAM Executive Director Ellen Telander. “The first program is located in Hutchinson, Minnesota and we were amazed at how many strings of lights we kept out of the landfill. We expect even more lights collected in Mankato.”

Any business interested in having a bin to collect light strings and extension cords can call Tammi or Jackie at MRCI WorkSource at 386-5799. Bins will be distributed, and collections will start in November. Also, look for the boxes at Holiday by the River on November 27th.

Sponsors include: MRCI WorkSource, Pepsi Mankato, Blue Earth County, Radio Mankato, Recycling Association of MN, LJP Waste and Recycle, with special support from participating Touchstone locations, including Benco in Mankato.
(from RAM website)

Recycle Your Holidays in Rochester area

New Holiday Lights Recycling Program in Rochester

With the help of The Recycling Association of Minnesota (RAM) and The Clean Energy Resource Teams (CERTs) there is a better alternative for getting rid of your old, broken holiday light strands. This year there is a way to recycle them, rather than toss them in the trash.

Unwanted and non-working light strands are now recyclable in Rochester, just in time for the holidays. The “Recycle Your Holidays™” program is a free service sponsored by The Recycling Center of Minnesota (RAM). The program recycles every part of the light strand, even the colored light bulbs are recycled by a project partner, Green Lights Recycling.


Collection bins with the “Recycle Your Holidays™” logo are located around Rochester.
Collection locations include:
The lobby of the Olmsted County Public Works building (2112)
The Salvation Army
Ace Hardware Stores in both Byron and Rochester.
Rochester Community and Technical College (RCTC) has three drop off locations including the Heinz Center Lobby, Sports Center Complex, and the atrium of the University Center Rochester (UCR) building.

The “Recycle Your Holidays™” program will provide collection boxes through January 15th, 2010. Jobs Plus of Waseca will collect the light strands from these locations and transport them to be disassembled and properly recycled.

Please help recycle these resources and exceed the program’s goal of collecting over 50,000 pounds of holiday lights!

Sponsors include: Ace Hardware, Clean Energy Resource Teams (CERTs), Green Lights Recycling, Minnesota Waste Wise, Olmsted County, Recycling Association of MN (RAM), Rochester Community and Technical College (RCTC), The Salvation Army, and Jobs Plus of Waseca.

MREA Receives Training Funding

The Midwest Renewable Energy Association has been awarded $3.3 million in funding from the U.S. Department of Energy to provide training to technical and community college instructors across the Midwest. The MREA, a non-profit organization based in Custer in north-central Wisconsin, has been teaching about solar electric and solar thermal technologies since 1990. The organization will work with training partners from technical colleges in Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Iowa and Minnesota to offer training institutes for instructors that includes hands-on training in installation of solar panels and connecting them to the grid.

Source: www.jsonline.com