City and County of Denver : Recycle your holiday lights

Do you have broken, burned-out or impossibly tangled sets of holiday lights stored away with last year's holiday decorations? Don't throw them out. Recycle them for free instead! Denver Recycles will collect and recycle holiday lights from November 15, 2017 to January 15, 2018 at the Cherry Creek Recycling Drop-off Center located near the intersection of S. Quebec St. and E. Cherry Creek South Drive (enter going south on Cherry Creek Drive South and follow the signs. The Cherry Creek Recycling Drop-off hours of operation are Tuesdays - Fridays from 10 am to 5 pm, and Saturdays from 9 am to 3 pm. The Drop-off is closed on Sundays, Mondays, and City holidays.

Incandescent, LED, and 'icicle' light strings, along with wires and attached bulbs, will be accepted for recycling. No bubble (liquid-filled) or neon lights. All packaging material and bags must be removed from the light strands prior to recycling. Don't delay, bring us your old holiday lights today!

Holiday lights cannot be recycled in purple carts or other regular single-stream recycling programs, but they do contain materials that are perfectly recyclable when processed appropriately. Components of your discarded lights, such as copper, brass, and plastic, will be separated and recycled into new products (possibly even new strands of holiday lights!). Just think of the energy savings you'll see by phasing out old strands of incandescent bulbs and replacing them with energy-efficient LED holiday lights.
For more information on the Recycle Your Holiday Lights program, contact Denver Recycles at 311(720-913-1311) or visit DenverGov.org/DenverRecycles. For more resources on saving energy and improving your home's comfort this winter season, visit DenverEnergy.org