Q&A: Holiday lights -- Landfill vs. LEDs

Your eco-questions answered:

Question: I am curious if you might know if it's a greener decision to keep the old Christmas lights that I already have until they die, or dispose of them (or donate them) and purchase new LED lights.  Is the power saving difference enough of an advantage to justify the waste? I have thought about this and I'm not sure what the better choice is ecologically. Thanks, Adriana

Answer: The short answer: Get the new, energy-efficient LED lights.

As Umbra of Grist puts it, "would you rather have a full landfill, or have the Arctic devoid of ice? Climate solutions take precedence over garbage-production concerns, particularly when the garbage is relatively harmless."

Conventional lights are rather difficult to recycle -- but creative ways for reusing them abound! You might in fact consider decorating the old lights and turning them into holiday decorations. That way, you get to keep the old lights -- unlit but still pretty -- on the tree, refrain from adding to the landfill, and get new decorations for your tree or house out of the deal.

Got a question? Ask me: greenlagirl@gmail.com.

Photo of LED lights by Derek K. Miller via Flickr

Comments

[m]

...but wouldn't the greener decision be to ditch the lights altogether?

[Julie Clawson]

How can we safely dispose of old lights since the cords have high levels of lead in them (warnings all over the boxes). Are there any recycling programs?

[Chris]

I believe a strand of 100 miniature Christmas lights uses 18 watts of power. Assuming you leave it on for 6 hours a day, it's going to use 108 watts per day. If a kilowatt hour costs 10 cents, this strand is going to cost you 1 cent per day
to use. Basically this question is silly. You're going to drive 100 miles or more in your car everyday and then come home to your power guzzling big screen TV but then think you're going to save the environment by unplugging something
that uses 18 watts of power?

[Siel]

m -- Sure, you can ditch lights altogether (I actually don't do holiday lights, though I think it's mostly due to laziness, not eco-activism). But "no lights!" doesn't really qualify as a green lighting option :P

Julie -- Take them to your nearest SAFE center for proper recycling and disposal. If you're not in the City of LA, let me know where you are and I'll try to fiind a place closer to you.

Chris -- Some problems and conundrums are bigger than others, and some actions will lead to bigger results than others. That doesn't mean that smaller problems don't exist, or that smaller actions don't matter.

[m]

I understand that "no lights" is not a "green lighting" option, but I guess my point is that more and more often the path to becoming "green" is presented as "just buy something different" or "just by an offset". While I know that making different purchase choices does make a difference in some ways, it is not the full answer to me. I think there is a huge area of confusion (brought on by tons of things-- advertising is just a starting point) in what we actually need, what we think we need, what we want and what we think we want. A lot of good could be done by honestly asking yourself "Do I need that thing? Is there something I already have that serves the same exact purpose? Is there something someone else has and no longer wants that serves the same purpose? Can I use my imagination to come up with a different solution? What is my end goal? What is the overall impact of this item? Where will it go when I am done with it?" For example, when it comes to Christmas lights, maybe a 1 for 1 replacement of conventional lights for LED lights strands could be supplemented by replacing every 3 strands of conventional lights with 1 strand of LED lights. Maybe your tree doesn't need quite as many strands as you previously had. Maybe your window or bushes don't need lights. Maybe you or someone else already has some sparkley, reflective tinsel, ornaments or extra mirrors that can be placed near the LED lights to enhance their effect and brightness without adding extra strands.