If you’re one of many Minnesotans replacing traditional holiday lights with energy-efficient LEDs and wondering what to do with all those old, jumbled cords, the answer might be closer than you think.

The Recycling Association of Minnesota (RAM) is partnering with hardware stores and other businesses all over the state to host drop-off sites for old holiday lights. In Austin, Austin Utilities is taking old lights, and Nelson’s Market Place is taking them in Albert Lea.

Brita Sailer of the association tells Minnesota Public Radio News that the copper, glass and plastic usually found in older lights don’t belong in landfills.

Sailer says it’s cost effective to recycle lights if done on a large scale. That’s why the group has about 500 drop-offs scattered around Minnesota, and a few in western Wisconsin and northern Iowa.

A full list of sites can be found at: http://www.cleanenergyresourceteams.org/campaigns/ryh-13-14 .

RAM has recycled nearly 650,000 pounds of holiday lighting since the inception of this program. If even half of these light strands were upgraded to more efficient LED holiday lighting, Minnesotans are saving more than 5.4 million kilowatt-hours and $430,000 year after year. That’s enough energy to power the electricity of 477 homes for an entire year.

Depending on one’s holiday lighting enthusiasm, a home can save between $10 to $250 each holiday season by switching to LED holiday lighting. This is because, according to the Department of Energy, LED holiday lights save up to 90 percent of the energy used by traditional incandescent holiday lights. LEDs are also safer, sturdier, longer lasting, and easier to install.

“Recycle Your Holidays recycles every part of the light strings. Even the little lights are recycled by project partner Green Lights Recycling,” RAM Director Maggie Mattacola said in a press release. “This year our goal is to recycle 100,000 light strands and to encourage more Minnesotans to make the change to energy efficient LED light strands.”

Associated Press contributed to this story