Recycle holiday lights with Five Rivers MetroParks

Drop off lights at one of six locations and support the Five Rivers MetroParks Foundation

Five Rivers MetroParks are making the holidays greener by providing bins at six MetroParks locations where residents can drop off holiday lights to be recycled starting Thursday, Dec. 1.  Recycling these lights supports MetroParks’ conservation mission, and Cohen will make a donation to the Five Rivers MetroParks Foundation based on how many lights are recycled.

Drop off unwanted lights at any of the following MetroParks locations through Wednesday, March 1. Light strands should be loose and not in bags or boxes. Drop-off locations are contactless, but residents are reminded to wear a face covering when entering an indoor MetroParks facility. 

The following locations are accessible during park hours, daily from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.

• Carriage Hill MetroPark, 7800 E. Shull Rd., Dayton: Recycling bin is located outside the Visitor Center entrance.
• Sugarcreek MetroPark, 4178 Conference Rd., Bellbrook: Recycling bin is located at the main parking lot entrance under the kiosk.
• Wegerzyn Gardens MetroPark, 1301 E. Siebenthaler Ave., Dayton: Recycling bin is located at the front of the main building.
• Possum Creek MetroPark, 4790 Frytown Rd., Dayton: Recycling bin located at the education building at the Possum Creek Farm.
• Cox Arboretum MetroPark, 6733 Springboro Pike, Dayton. Recycling bin located outside the Visitor Center entrance.
• 2nd Street Market, 600 E. Second St., Dayton: Recycling bin is located at the northwest entrance and is accessible anytime.

Extra waste generated during the holidays — including decorations, food and paper waste —amounts to 25 million tons of garbage, according to the Use Less Stuff Report and the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency.

This is the fourth holiday season the recycling program has been offered. Last year, MetroParks collected 7,400 pounds of lights. The past three years, Cohen donated a total of $5,280 to the Five Rivers MetroParks Foundation to support MetroParks’ mission to protect the Dayton region’s natural heritage.

“The partnership we have with Cohen allows us to help people be more sustainable during the holidays, when people generally send the most waste to the landfill,” said Tim Pritchard, Five Rivers MetroParks’ sustainability coordinator. “It’s really easy to do something good for yourself and the environment in one trip. Plan a park outing where there is a lights recycling bin, drop off your lights and enjoy some time outdoors.”

Information about the holiday light recycling program is online at metroparks.org/lights.