How to get rid of Christmas lights - everything you need to know about safely recycling old fairy lights

Lights are an integral part of any Christmas tree and many of us will use the same set of lights for years. But when they break or need replacing, do you know how to get rid of christmas lights?

Of course, the easiest thing that springs to mind is to chuck them in your rubbish bin, however, experts have weaned against this, stating it is possible to recycle your Christmas lights.

Even the best christmas lights need replacing eventually, and when the time comes this is how you can get rid of your Christmas lights safely.

How to get rid of Christmas lights

'Christmas lights and fairy lights are classed as Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE waste) - meaning you can recycle them, and they shouldn’t just go in your general waste. Recycling can sometimes feel like an arduous task, so it’s very easy to consider just chucking things in your general bin, but please don’t,’ says Amy Barker from 100Green.

Some councils accept small electricals like Christmas lights as part of their home recycling scheme. In this instance, you can include your Christmas lights with your recycling in a clear plastic bag, which will be taken with the rest of your waste. Otherwise, you can take your Christmas lights to a recycling centre.

'Christmas lights can be recycled at the majority of local recycling centres. Ring your local recycling centre to check if they accept Christmas lights or alternatively you can look on the ‘RecycleNow’ website,’ says Sam Garbutt, lighting expert at LED & Power.

‘Christmas lights can be recycled by separating them into different parts for processing. This includes separating the glass bulbs, metal wires and plastic wire coating. If your Christmas lights have incandescent lights then these bulbs should be removed prior to recycling, however, LED bulbs can remain on the light string when being recycled.’

You mustn’t put your Christmas lights in your general waste as WEEE waste contains toxic metals that can harm the environment if they end up in a landfill. ‘In addition, Christmas lights can contain a small amount of valuable material and should therefore be recycled and reused,’ says Sam.

If you have doubts whether your Christmas lights can be recycled, it’s always worth taking them to your recycling centre instead of just putting them in the bin. Alternatively, if your lights are still in good working order, you can donate them to a charity shop.

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If it is time for an upgrade, these are the Christmas lights we reccomend.

Dealing with post-Christmas waste is often forgotten about, but knowing how to dispose of your lights correctly can help make the process a little easier.