Matt Gohlke, the co-owner and general manager of Music World in Hazel Dell, recently realized the impact of disposing of his instruments’ old strings. According to TerraCycle, a recycling company, an estimated 1.5 million pounds of instrument string metal ends up in landfills each year. These strings are not accepted through local recycling programs.
Gohlke decided to collaborate with TerraCycle and guitar string manufacturer D’Addario to organize string-exchange events at Music World. He stated that before this recycling program, recycling old strings was never a top priority for him or others in the community.
Music World hosted its third annual string exchange event on Earth Day, with D’Addario providing 40 sets of strings. Music World replaced the strings while TerraCycle recycled the old ones. Typically costing $40 to restring an instrument, this event not only benefits the community but also raises awareness about recycling guitar strings.
Though this year’s event has passed, Music World will continue to accept and recycle old music strings year-round. Derek Neiman, a customer of Music World for over a decade, usually restrings his instruments himself but took advantage of the promotion to have his guitar restrung at the store. Neiman praised Music World for always doing a great job.
Photographer Taylor Balkom contributed to this story.