How to Recycle Old Christmas Lights

We’ve made it to 2021, which is exciting, but it does mean that the holiday season is officially over. If you decorated your home with lights, it’s time to take them down because there’s no time like the present! However, figuring out what to do with all those Christmas lights may be holding you back. Luckily, there are plenty of ways to recycle your old lights if you’re not planning on using them again next year.

Why You Would Want to Recycle Your Christmas Lights?

Christmas lights have a lifespan. There are only so many years you can use them before they will stop working. If you have older incandescent bulbs that lifespan will be even shorter than the lifespan of an LED. You can expect somewhere between 4 and 10 seasons for your lights, though it can be easy to damage some of the bulbs when you bring them down.

So you know that your lights won’t last forever, but why recycle? While incandescents and LEDs don’t have hazardous materials, they have plenty of recyclable raw components. Glass and aluminum are easily recyclable, and doing so prevents old lights from taking up space in a landfill somewhere. CFL lights contain mercury and can poison groundwater in some cases so it’s important to get rid of those in a safe way.

Where Can I Recycle Old Christmas Lights?

Not every recycling center is equipped to handle old lights, so try calling around to a few of the local ones. There are quite a few options in our area that can make it convenient for you. Additionally, major hardware store chains like Home Depot or Lowe’s may accept recycled bulbs and can sometimes have promotions that offer store credit!

The last option is to look online. There are a surprising number of online companies that specialize in holiday lights that offer recycling programs. For most, you can just ship the package to them and they’ll offer discounts or coupons for your order to replace them.

It’s important that we all do our part to help the environment and that goes beyond just using more efficient appliances and lighting in our home. However, if you’d like assistance with home electrical projects, we’d love to share our expertise!