Recycle Old Holiday Lights Now and Your Tree Later

Castro Valley Sanitary District is offering tips on its website on how to deal with the aftermath of the holidays in the most environmentally friendly way.

From the Castro Valley Sanitary District -

Recycle your broken and used holiday lights at Pete’s Ace Hardware in Castro Valley and help out a charity this holiday season.

You can bring your used lights, working or not, to be recycled at Pete's Ace Hardware at 2569 Castro Valley Boulevard, Castro Valley. Pete's is participating with  Lights for Life, a non-profit that helps families that have a child with cancer through the collection and recycling of old holiday string lights. The lights are collected and sent to a recycling company which then donates the proceeds to Lights for Life.  Lights for Life will also accept wiring, such as extension cords and plain copper wire.

Please bring any unwanted lights, even those that work but take up too much energy, to Pete’s Ace Hardware now through February 15.

Holiday Tree Recycling

Holiday trees from single-family residents, multi-family residents, and schools may be set out on your regular garbage collection day between January 2 through 6 or January 9 through 13. At the end of that two-week period, for the remainder of January,  holiday trees may be cut up and placed inside your organics cart for collection.

Before you place them out remove their ornaments, tinsel, nails, and stands.  If necessary, cut your tree into a maximum of 6-foot lengths. (Flocked trees will be collected, but not composted.)

Single-family residents may set out holiday trees curbside, multi-family residents may set out holiday trees in their general  garbage collection area or enclosure and schools may set out trees as agreed to by the school and Waste Management of Alameda County, Inc. If you have questions you can contact Waste Management of Alameda County, Inc. at 510-537-5500. 

OTHER HOLIDAY RECYCLING TIPS & REMINDERS

Save holiday bows and ribbon and reuse them next year. Keep foam packaging pellets and use them in the next package you send out or gather clean pellets in a plastic bag and take them to your nearest UPS Store and they’ll reuse them for you. Recycle wrapping paper in your blue recycling cart or white recycling bin. Compost holiday leftovers (all food scraps and food-soiled paper) in your green organics cart.

For more great tips, you can visit Cal Recycles holiday recycling page here. 

The Castro Valley Sanitary District can be reached at 510-537-0757.