KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- A local Westlake Ace Hardware manager came up with a unique solution for a unique problem here in Kansas City. “What are you going to do with your old lights? Throw them away?" asked Peter Jones. "That doesn't feel the greatest in today's environmentally friendly atmosphere." Jones teamed up with Midwest Recycling Center to give folks an alternative to throwing lights away. “Last year we did over 4500 pounds worth of lights,” he said. “And if you think at a store your Christmas lights, that's not much weight. So, we kept a lot of Christmas lights out of the landfills.” Holiday Boutique returns to Overland Park Jones said that while people are putting their lights up, there are some safety measures to consider, which need to be a priority. “Don't overextend yourself on a ladder. Be safe. That's probably one of the most common injuries that's going to happen. The other one that you have a chance that not only injury, but frustration is electrical safety," he explained. He mentioned that holiday lights don’t feature some electrical safety measures that other electric products do. “So, ground faults and things of that nature aren't going to provide safety like they normally would,” Jones continued. “They may trip your breaker outside your house, but not as fast as you want for your safety.” He said that the right extension cord is essential too, especially with colder weather on the way. “The indoor cords just won't hold up in cold weather. You're less expensive. Outdoor cords and your indoor cords are going to freeze. They're going to be brittle. They won't move.” A popular addition to the holiday light setup is the addition of automated plugs, including some that you can control from your phone. “You can orchestrate your Christmas lights from your phone,” Jones said. “So, some really cool home automation offers that aren't very expensive either.” Finally, he said that it’s important to choose the right-sized bulbs for different purposes. “Have a plan, scale your light bulbs a little bit for the bigger lines on your roof. Bigger bulbs for your smaller trees, shrubs and bushes, smaller bulbs, pretty easy.”