Recycle Christmas Lights at Stores
Do you have old Christmas Lights you want to recycle? Drop them off at Lowe's or The Home Depot.It would be hard to imagine a holiday season without Christmas lights strung around the house and the tree. But after Christmas, sometimes it’s hard to imagine what to do with the tangled mess of lights that seems to grow with each passing year.
**NOTE: Christmas Lights are not allowed
In County Waste’s recycling containers**
If you’re ready to update your holiday lights and get the old ones permanently out of the garage, think recycling, not trash.
First things first – don’t thrown those old Christmas light in the trash. Christmas lights are made with materials that can be recycled and shouldn’t wind up in the landfill. The wire itself is coated copper, the lights are plastic or glass and the sockets are likely brass. Even though that tangled assortment of Christmas lights might look like more work than it’s worth, don’t be fooled - recycling is worth it!
Christmas lights are recycled like many other products – the good material is separated from the less desirable material. In the case of Christmas lights, the copper wiring is the main prize and fetches the highest return. After the wire is recovered, the plastics and other recyclables are collected and turned into new, unique environmentally friendly products (maybe even more Christmas lights).
While Christmas lights cannot be placed in single stream recycling containers, it’s worth the extra effort to reduce the impact on the environment by recycling them.
According to their national websites, Christmas lights can be dropped off at:
- Lowe’s Customer Service through Dec. 24, 2016
- The Home Depot through Dec. 14, 2016
Both Lowe’s and The Home Depot have accepted lights in the past and both have other in-store programs designed to reduce our impact on the environment.
If one of the above locations is not in your area, check online for a reputable recycler.
Other options for recycling your Christmas lights:
- If the lights work and aren’t a safety hazard, donate them to a local thrift store. Someone would be thrilled to have lights for the holidays and probably wouldn’t mind untangling them if they came at a discount
- Friends, neighbors, churches, social groups etc. may also be interested in taking old Christmas lights off your hands
- Watch your local news source. Often during the holiday season local waste management, home centers, or city governments will offer Christmas light recycling
**NOTE: Christmas Lights are not allowed
in County Waste's recycling containers.
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