The EPA recommends using a local program or service for recycling lights and other materials and products because most are easy and convenient. Check with your city or local government office for information on recycling programs. Some cities offer curbside recycling programs, while others have special days or events dedicated to recycling or repurposing, like an “all-city shredding party”.
Earth 911
For more than 20 years, Earth911 has been a go-to source for recycling news and programs. Consult the site for environmental updates along with how and where to recycle lights and other household products.
True Value Stores (In person)
For $1 per bulb, True Value hardware stores will recycle your CFL bulbs.
Bulbcycle
Recycling those hard-to-handle 8-foot-long fluorescent tube lights is a smoother and easier task with Bulbcycle. They’ll send you a box or container for the specific light you want to discard, for a fee. Bulbcycle also recycles batteries and smoke detectors, among other products.
Christmas Light Source accepts broken lights for recycling year-round. All recycling proceeds are donated to Toys for Tots.
Holiday LEDs Christmas Light Recycling Program (Online)
Holiday LEDs accepts holiday lights and strands throughout the year—not just at Christmas time. They request that you package the lights carefully and send them to their Wisconson headquarters.
When the lights arrive, they are removed from packaging and the lights will be processed. Any materials that can’t be recycled is discarded. lights are taken to a third-party recycling facility in Jackson, Mississippi, where they are chopped into small pieces. The pieces are sorted and taken to a regional center for further processing.
Send in your old incandescent Christmas lights for recycling, and HolidayLEDs.com will send you a coupon for 25 percent off LED Christmas lights ordered from its site.
Lowe’s (In Person)
Many Lowe’s stores in the United States and Canada offer recycling centers, usually located at the front of the store. There, you can recycle CFL bulbs, rechargeable batteries, cell phones, and plastic shopping bags. Canadian stores recycle CFLs and batteries.
Orchard Supply Hardware (OSH) (In Person)
OSH accepts residential CFL and fluorescent lights for recycling.
If you send your unwrapped strings of old incandescent holiday lights to LED Warehouse, they’ll recycle them and give you a coupon for 10 percent off their LED light products.
IKEA (In-Person)
IKEA furniture stores recycle CFLs and other products like beverage containers, batteries, and cardboard at their stores, usually near the entrance.
Residential Lighting State Laws (In Person)