Grinch steals holiday lights in Flossmoor

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Jennifer Molski and Michele Medhurst collect Christmas tree lights for recycling during a recent event. | Supplied photo

Updated: February 21, 2012 8:27AM

It took two weeks to collect 500 pounds of Christmas lights for a local recycling project — and less than two hours to steal them all.

Apparently, a Grinch’s work is never done.

The theft occurred between 7 and 8:30 a.m. Monday at the Flossmoor home of Jennifer Molski and her husband, Tony Manos, according to the couple.

The 500 pounds of lights, covered with a blue tarp, were sitting in their driveway, waiting for Elgin Recycling to pick them up and pay the couple 15 cents per pound. When Molski returned from dropping Manos off at the airport, all that remained was the tarp, she said.

“The lights were well-covered and on our property. I don’t understand their thinking,” Molski said of the thieves. “I felt violated. I felt bad for the people who donated them. People are so grateful for this program and feel good about recycling.”

By Wednesday, donations had come in from Elgin Recycling, American Scrap Metal Services and an anonymous donor exceeding the $75 the program would have received.

“We are incredibly thankful,” said Cheryl Vargo, manager of the Irons Oaks Environmental Learning Center in Olympia Fields, who partnered with Molski and Manos for the recycling event.

The Flossmoor couple began the resident-led recycling program last year to collect discarded Christmas trees for mulch. They sought sponsors, put up banners and posters and spread the word.

This year, they expanded the program at Irons Oaks to include the lights. Over two weekends in January, they collected 650 Christmas trees — twice as many as last year — and the 500 pounds of unwanted lights.

The trees will be mulched and spread around the trails at Irons Oaks. The lights were to be sold to Elgin Recycling, and the money used to advertise next year’s recycling event.

The lights were moved to Molski’s garage until Elgin Recycling could pick them up. Molski said she and her husband moved the pile onto their driveway Monday morning to make it easier for Elgin to get them.

The only clue they have is that a neighbor saw a woman driving a red pickup truck in the neighborhood that morning.

“Obviously, this person needed the money,” Molski said.

She remains undeterred and plans to expand the program again next year, possibly working with the Homewood-Flossmoor Park District to establish more drop-off points.

“We’re aiming for 1,000 trees and 1,000 pounds of lights next year,” Molski said.