How to Recycle Holiday and String Lights
Incandescent and LED decorative light strings. Not curbside recyclable. E-waste or scrap-wire channels.
Quick answer
String lights tangle curbside sorting equipment, so keep them out of the blue bin. Take LED or mixed strings to an e-waste drop-off; copper-heavy incandescent strands can also go to a scrap yard. Some independents run seasonal take-back; national big-box holiday programs are not consistent.
- Recyclable
- Yes
- Typical value
- Roughly $0.50-2.00/lb possible for copper-rich insulated wire at scrap yards; LED sets are usually e-waste, not a payout
- 1Untangle and remove ornaments or garland
- 2Separate working sets for reuse or donation
- 3Coil and bag non-working sets
- 4Prefer municipal e-waste for LED strings with controllers
- 5Incandescent-only strands can go to scrap metal if the yard accepts light wire
- Municipal e-waste / transfer stations
- Scrap yards (copper wire)
- Some independent hardware seasonal collections
- IKEA lightbulb recycling (includes string lights in some markets)
Never curbside. Municipal programs (for example Zero Waste Sonoma) often classify Christmas lights as electronics. Seasonal retailer take-back exists locally but is not a verified national Home Depot/Lowe's program.
Keeps copper and PVC out of landfill and prevents MRF downtime from wire tangles.
Accepted
- LED and incandescent mini lights
- Icicle, net, and rope lights
- Controllers and timers bundled with the set
Not Accepted
- Lights mixed into curbside recycling carts
Estimated value: Roughly $0.50-2.00/lb possible for copper-rich insulated wire at scrap yards; LED sets are usually e-waste, not a payout
- Lead solder in older sets
- Electronic controllers on LED strings
Can I put Christmas lights in curbside recycling?
No. Thin wire wraps around sorting screens and shuts lines down.
LED vs incandescent for recycling?
Incandescent strings are mostly copper wire. LED strings add circuit boards and belong with e-waste when available.
- How to recycle LED Bulbs
- How to recycle CFL Bulbs
- How to recycle Fluorescent Tubes
- How to recycle Halogen Bulbs
- How to recycle Incandescent Bulbs
- How to recycle High-Intensity Discharge (HID) Lamps
- How to recycle Neon and Argon Lights
- How to recycle LED Strip Lights
- How to recycle Emergency and Exit Lighting
Recycling centers that accept Holiday and String Lights
RecycleFind lists recycling centers that accept holiday and string lights. Open a listing for hours, contact info, and directions.