The City of Fairfax is making the holiday season more sustainable by partnering with Fairfax Ace Hardware and Old Town Ace Hardware to offer a convenient way to recycle broken or damaged string lights—and this year!

 Why Recycle String Lights?

String lights should never go in residential recycling bins. Recycling centers cannot separate the glass, metals, and plastics in string lights, which are considered "tanglers." These items can jam sorting machinery, damage equipment, and compromise the integrity of recyclable materials. Instead of tossing them in the trash, bring them to one of our drop-off locations for proper recycling.

Lights collected will be taken to a scrap-metal recycling facility where materials such as glass, plastic, copper, and metals are separated and recycled responsibly.

Accepted Items
All types of string lights are accepted, including:

• LEDs
• Icicles
• Multi-colored lights
• Rope lights
• Solar-powered lights

Please remove any packaging or decorations before placing lights in the bins. Note: Only string lights are accepted.

For working string lights, we encourage you to donate or reuse them before recycling.

Drop-Off Locations
The holiday light recycling program runs from Thanksgiving through Valentine’s Day.

Fairfax Ace Hardware, 10310-B Main St, Fairfax, VA 22030 

• Monday – Friday: 8:00 A.M. to 8:00 P.M.
•  Saturday: 9:00 A.M. to 6:00 P.M.
• Sunday: 9:00 A.M. to 5:00 P.M.

Fairfax City Hall, 10455 Armstrong St, Fairfax, VA 22030

• Monday – Friday: 8:30 A.M. to 5:00 P.M. (excluding holidays)

Old Town Ace Hardware, 809 S Washington St, Alexandria, VA 22314

• Monday – Saturday: 8:00 A.M. to 8:00 P.M.
• Sunday: 10:00 A.M. to 6:00 P.M.

Please note that hours may vary around the holidays.