Holidays 2012: Recycle Lights, Phones and Coats; Donate New Toys

Are you buying a new winter jacket? Do you have holiday lights that no longer work? Did your kids get duplicate toys this year? Did Santa bring you a new cell phone?

If you have items you’d like to toss but aren’t sure what to do with them, a number of collections are taking place on Mercer Island and items can be dropped off right at the Mercer Island Thrift Shop.

If you have coats you no longer need, donations are also being collected through Salvation Army. You can find one of their drop-off points at Mercer Island Covenant Chuch.

Cell phones piling up because you have the newest and best that technology has to offer? Drop off used cells at Sound & Vision or E-Cycle Washington.

Do you still have your Christmas Tree? Schedule a pick-up for recycling by the Mercer Island Lacrosse Club and leave them a small donation in return for the service. A tax-deductible $20 donation is suggested in by putting it in a small plastic bag tied to the tree.

Two pickups remain: 9 a.m. on either Saturday, Jan. 5 or Sunday, Jan. 6. Make a reservation via the MI Lax website (www.mercerislandlacrosse.com) or by clicking here.

Have old holiday lights that no longer work? Maybe you switched colors or swapped old lights for LED ones? Whatever the reason, if you have lights that you're not hanging this year, they can be recycled.

• Whole Foods- Bellevue
• Wyatt's Jewlers
• McLendon's Hardware
• Westfield Southcenter Mall
• Northgate Mall

Another option could be mailing them in. Send your old, unusable lights to an on-line company called HolidayLEDs :

HolidayLEDs.com
Attn: Recycling Program
118 Rosehill Dr.
Suite 1
Jackson, MI 49202

They will recycle your lights for you and they will mail you back a coupon for 25% of the purchase of any LED holiday lights from their website.

Is your organization collecting donations this holiday season? Let us know. Leave a note in comments or e-mail Local Editor Kendall Watson at Kendall.Watson@Patch.com.