Sunday, December 05, 2021

Where to recycle broken holiday lights

It happens nearly every year: The lights are brought up from the basement, or in from the garage, or down from the attic. No matter how carefully they were stored, they emerge a tangled mess. And when they are finally untangled... and plugged in just to check... one or more of the strings turns out to be kaput.

If the Elf on the Shelf heard what you said when that happened (or, rather, didn't happen), you'd wind up on Santa's naughty list for sure.

But, other than cursing them, what can you do with the no-longer-functioning strings of lights?

Charlie Meyerson's December 2 Chicago Public Square carried a link to this WTTW post touting efforts by a group of North Side alderpersons and community organizations to recycle non-working holiday lights.

As the linked WTTW article notes, Christmas lights are not permitted in regular recycling bins.

Here is the list, lifted from the WTTW site, where those dead holiday lights will be accepted for recycling:

Used extension cords will also be accepted at these locations.

1 comment:

Albert said...

Arlington Heights is also recycling them. At the village hall during business hours, or there's a 24-hour bin next to the main door of the public works building (222 N. Ridge). No residency requirement, just drop them off.