Recycling String Lights and Other Electronic Waste Is a Bright Idea during Holidays or Any Time of the Year
Nov 06, 2024
‘Tis the season to be merry and bright and holiday string lights help set the mood. Did you know that most discarded electronics, or E-waste such as string lights, can be recycled into other useful products? Specialized recycling programs can recover metals from old electronics like copper, iron, and steel, while toxic elements such as lead, cadmium, and beryllium are captured for proper safe disposal. Best of all, recycling E-waste reduces the need to mine for rare earth minerals such as lithium, while reducing the amount of waste that’s going to our landfills.
Almost any item that has batteries or a cord to plug in counts as E-waste, and most kinds can be recycled.
Fortunately, our community has many ways and places to recycle unwanted electronics and, this time of year, there are also seasonal programs that collect holiday lights for recycling. Check out the list below to find a collection point near you and be sure to click the link to learn about what kinds of E-waste are accepted at each one and what its hours of operation are.
Seasonal Holiday Lights Recycling Programs
Year-Round Electronics Drop-Off Locations (also accepting string lights)
If your community is hosting a seasonal string light recycling opportunity that you’d like added to this list, please send an email with event details to media@swaco.org.
For more information about recycling, visit RecycleRight.org or, for more information about reducing waste at the holidays, check out SWACO’s Green Holiday Guide.
