Matt Gohlke, the co-owner and general manager of Music World in Hazel Dell, hardly thought about how he disposed of his instruments’ old strings until recently.
He learned an estimated 1.5 million pounds of instrument string metal ends up in landfills each year because they aren’t accepted through local recycling programs, according to TerraCycle, a recycling company.
Gohlke jumped at an offer from TerraCycle and guitar string manufacturer D’Addario to collaborate on string-exchange events at Music World.
“Speaking for myself, but also being around other people in the community, until this recycling program came out, recycling was never on the top of our minds,” Gohlke said. “It was never even really a thought to recycle them before that.”
Thursday was Music World’s third year hosting the free string exchange event, which usually falls on or around Earth Day. D’Addario provides the strings — 40 sets this year. Music World replaces the strings and TerraCycle recycles the old ones. Gohlke said it typically costs $40 to restring an instrument.
“Not only is this event good for the community, it brings up awareness that you don’t have to add this to landfill waste, this can go into the recycling process,” Gohlke said.
Although this year’s event is over, Music World will accept and recycle old music strings year-round.
A customer of Music World for over a decade, Derek Neiman typically restrings his instruments himself, but with the promotion going on he decided to have his guitar restrung there.
“They always do a great job,” Neiman said.
Photographer Taylor Balkom contributed to this story.
