I cut em apart if im bored but id rather just take the dirty price. If you figure your getting paid $.15 a pound for the bulbs by the time you cut em off and weigh just the copper your really just getting about the same amount of cash any way. 3lbs of x-mas lights at $.15 a pound =$.45 now chop off all the bulbs to get $.40/lbs for the remaining pound of copper= $.40. So i guess its all about what you feel like spending your time doing.