Mon, 6th Dec, 2021
It’s that time of year again; when you can gather up any old and broken Christmas lights and take them along to one of three local shopping centres to have them recycled by KMK Metals Recycling. Any money raised will be donated to the Midlands Simon Community.
Specially-designed trolleys have been placed in Tullamore’s Bridge Shopping Centre, Harbour Place Shopping Centre in Mullingar and Golden Island Shopping Centre in Athlone making it simple for members of the public to drop off lights while out shopping. The trolleys will remain in place until the end of January giving people the opportunity to take down their festive decorations and recycle any indoor or outdoor Christmas lights that are no longer working.
Max Kyck, General Manager of KMK Metals Recycling, said: “A set of old Christmas lights might seem insignificant in the scheme of things and you may be tempted to just throw them in your waste bin, but I urge you not to do that. Sending electrical waste to landfill is detrimental to the environment, while by recycling it, you can give it a new lease of life as a component of a new product. Instead of binning or hoarding old lights, take them to your local shopping centre and have them recycled for free, while also helping a wonderful charity. If the lights are in working order but no use to you anymore, offer them to a local charity shop or pass them on to friends or family.”
Christmas lights or any waste product with a plug, battery or circuit board, can also be recycled for free at local civic amenity centres or recycling centres and at participating electrical retailers.
People are asked to use the trolleys solely for recycling Christmas lights and to remove any packaging beforehand.
Midlands Simon Community offers many services to people who are homeless or at risk of homelessness, to help get them back on their feet as quickly as possible. The charity offers services and support to people in the Midlands region of Offaly, Westmeath, Laois and Longford and aims to help users of the service to rebuild their lives and move out of homelessness into a permanent home.
