Mercer Lioness work with Habitat for Humanity in recycling project

MERCER, Wis. - The recycling committee of the Mercer Lioness Club has discovered a win-win situation for all when it comes to old Christmas lights. The lights can be recycled for the metal inside which can be reused, Habitat for Humanity of Wausau collects them and gets paid by the pound for them, and the lights stay out of the landfills.

"We take all sizes of stringed holiday lights. You can recycle new, used or non-working holiday lights," said Martha Pierpont, president of the Mercer Lioness Club.

The club set out collection bins on Friday and they will remain in place through Jan. 6 at four locations: The Mercer Public School, the Mercer Town Hall, the Mercer Public Library and Snow's Family Market.

"We will take them to Habitat for Humanity in Wausau," said Pierpont. "They will send them to their end-point recycler and receive cash for them. The lights are then melted down for recovery of metals that can be reused," she said.

The bigger lights have to be removed from the strands of wire - a perfect job for Habitat volunteers who love to work and be around other people, but are limited in what they can do, said Pierpont.

"We collect (the lights) all through the year, not just the holidays," she said. "It's a good feeling to keep it out of the landfill and donate them."

The Mercer Lioness Club promotes recycling in general. "We did a project where we updated information for the town hall with regard to other recyclables that aren't typically listed, such as batteries and fire alarms," she said.

"We encourage people to use less, reuse and recycle as much as possible," Pierpont said.