Homegrown: Recycling your holiday lights

Strings of lights that no longer work can be recycled, but do not add to your curbside recycling bins.

Instead, drop them off at special collection sites.

Through Jan. 7, take to the following locations: (In Coralville) City Hall, 1512 Seventh St.; Hy-Vee, Lantern Park Plaza, 1914 Eighth St.; Recreation Center, 1506 Eighth St.; Recycling Center, 110 E. Seventh St., and Walgreens at 102 Second St. and 2751 Heartland Dr.

(In Iowa City) City Carton Recycling, 3 E. Benton St.,; Hy-Vee stores on Waterfront Drive; First Avenue and North Dodge Street; Iowa City Landfill and Recycling Center, 3900 Hebl Ave. SW, and ReStore, 2401 Scott Blvd. SE.

Linn County residents can take lights to the Solid Waste Agency, 1954 County Home Rd., Marion, or 2250 A St. SW.

Winter hours are 7 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Saturday in Marion and 7 a.m. to 3 p.m., Monday through Friday in Cedar Rapids.

Plastic, cardboard and paper can be recycled, but wrapping paper must be thrown away. Because of its lack of quality fiber and foil coatings, wrapping paper is not as environmentally friendly as gift bags, which can be reused, or newspaper, which can be recycled.