City residents protect environment through holiday drop-off program
COVINGTON, Ky. – Sometimes tipping the scales a little heavier than the year before is a good thing.
So it is with the annual recycling program that allowed residents to drop off strands of non-working holiday light strands instead of tossing them into the trash.
Covington’s Solid Waste & Recycling Division – along with partners Keep Covington Beautiful and Cohen Recycling – collected 625 pounds of lights in Covington at four drop-off locations. That’s up 118 pounds from last year’s recycling effort.
Throughout Kenton County, 3,264 pounds of holiday lights were collected at eight locations. Meanwhile, Campbell County collected 1,213 pounds from six locations, and Boone County weighed in with a total of 763 pounds through this and another program.
The program saved landfill space, kept harmful metals out of the earth and water supply, and earned local governments a nominal fee, said Sheila Fields, Covington’s Solid Waste & Recycling Manager.
“Holiday light strings contain plastic, glass, copper, and even lead. If you toss your lights in the trash they will sit in a landfill for years and can harm the environment,” Fields said. “Think about how many households throw out holiday lights year after year, and the negative impact is painfully apparent. We are happy to see our numbers increase as we continue to support our community and provide alternatives to landfill disposal.”
The City of Covington also saved landfill space by collecting 144 discarded natural holiday trees to chip into mulch.
Fields said tree numbers were lower this year because they didn’t receive unsold trees from retailer Kroger Co., like last year.
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