Ace Hardware ‘lights up’ lives of kids with cancer

For the fifth consecutive year, Ace Hardware stores across Colorado, Wyoming and New Mexico are accepting extension cords and strands of holiday lights for recycling to benefit Lights For Life. Lights For Life is a non-profit organization that strives to make life easier for kids with cancer and their families.

Delta Ace Hardware stores will accept light strands and extension cords through Feb. 15.

Lights For Life sells the donated light strands and extension cords to a recycling company for the copper and PVC they contain. The money raised is used to help children with cancer and their families cover the cost of medical bills and other expenses not covered by insurance, as well as to fund kids' camps and childhood cancer research.

Last year, Ace Hardware customers across the three states donated more than 30,000 pounds of holiday lights to the campaign, raising nearly $14,000 for families of children diagnosed with cancer. This brings the total amount of lights donated by local Ace customers since 2008 to more than 100,000 pounds, raising nearly $50,000.

"Every year there are more options for decorating with energy efficient, longer-lasting LED light strands, and every year more shoppers are making the switch from traditional incandescent holiday lights to LED lights," said Clark Evans, manager of Orchards Ace Hardware in Loveland. "This program gives Ace Hardware shoppers a way to keep old and broken light strands out of the landfill and put them to good use helping local families."

According to Consumer Reports, a typical homeowner spends approximately $11 in energy costs to burn 50 feet of traditional lights for 300 hours, while the same use of LED lights costs less than 15 cents. LED lights are also more durable than incandescent lights, often lasting as much as 10 times longer than traditional lights, and because LED lights burn cooler they are safer to use and reduce the risk of fire.

The holiday light recycling program adds to the growing list of recycling programs offered by area Ace Hardware stores. Many Ace Hardware stores also accept used compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs), mercury-containing thermostats, used cell phones and rechargeable batteries for recycling.

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