Silver City, NM ' If you're taking down your holiday lights and don't plan to reuse them, we encourage you to Gǣlight-cycleGǥ them.

Light-cycling provides for the collected Christmas lights to be tested and repaired, if possible, then used for decorations next year around Silver City in collaboration with the Community Youth Building Program. Any lights that can't be used will be recycled.

Lights and other electrical cords are bought as part of the electronic waste that is recycled for us by Broadway Metals in Phoenix. The copper wiring in cords is a valuable commodity. Almost all of the Christmas lights in the United States go to a Christmas light recycling facility in Shijiao, China, as featured in a 2011 documentary by The Atlantic magazine.

There are three locations in Silver City where you can drop off your old lights'the ReStore, the Office of Sustainability, and the Southwest Solid Waste Authority Recycling Center at the Landfill.

The ReStore at 704 W. Market is open 1 to 4 Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, and 9 to 1 on Saturdays. The Office of Sustainability at 1106 N. Pope is open 8 - 5 Monday-Thursday. The electronic waste drop-off location at the Recycling Center is at 318 S. Ridge Rd. It is open 8 - 4:30 Monday - Friday and 8-3:30 Saturday.

For additional information call the Office of Sustainability at 519-8987.