Updated December 6, 2023

So you have strands of Christmas lights that don’t work anymore. Or maybe they’re so tangled you can’t put them up anywhere. Or maybe you’ve finally replaced your strings of large incandescent lights that use so much electricity. How do you dispose of Christmas lights you can’t use anymore?

But first, here’s what not to do.

• Don’t put them in the trash. They’ll just take up valuable landfill space and waste valuable commodities. Plus, if by chance they use any kind of fluorescent bulbs, they contain mercury and must be treated as a hazardous waste.
• Don’t put them in your recycling bin for pickup. Any kind of cords, hoses, wire, or anything else long and bendy will get tangled in the rotating machinery at the recycling facility. Strings of Christmas lights will break expensive equipment and endanger the health of the people who work on the line. At best, the facility will have some kind of presort step to remove unsuitable materials before they get to the equipment. In that case, your lights will end up at the landfill.

How does Christmas light recycling work?

Strings of Christmas lights are copper wire enclosed in a coating of polyvinyl chloride (the plastic with the number 3 in the recycling triangle) fitted with sockets. Nowadays, most of the bulbs are LEDs. Some people consider LEDs unpleasantly bright, so it’s still possible to get incandescent bulbs. The newer ones use less electricity than the older ones.

You may have some older lights made of glass that you don’t want any more.

Recycling Christmas lights requires shredding the strings (with bulbs) into small pieces and separating them into the copper and various plastics. Once separated, these materials become raw material for making new products. The plastic, for example, may turn into slipper soles.

Formerly, Shijao, China served as the Christmas light recycling capital of the world, but in 2018, China severely restricted the recyclables it would accept. A few American companies recycled them before, but now, more have started up.

What are my options to dispose of Christmas  lights?

TwisterMc via Flickr

You can either take them somewhere, or mail them somewhere. Holiday LEDs accepts string lights for recycling and, in return, sends you a coupon you can use to purchase new lights from them.

Don’t need the coupon? Earth911 is always a good place to check to see what your options are.

I have looked up Christmas light recycling online and notice plenty of articles that say you can take lights to such chain stores as Home Depot, Lowes, Menards, Ace Hardware, True Value, Walmart, or IKEA.

I haven’t found that service listed on any of the companies’ website. That doesn’t mean they don’t recycle. You can easily enough visit  or call your local store to find out what your options are.

A better way

Recycling Christmas lights correctly is better than putting them out to the curb, but if the lights still work, you can do better. Keep using them. If you no longer like them and want a different look, see if any of your friends want the old ones. Or donate them to a thrift store so someone can have lights who can’t afford to buy them new.