Can you recycle fairy lights and christmas lights?
Broken Christmas light strings are small WEEE — take them to the recycling centre or a small-electricals point. Never put them in kerbside bins: light strings tangle sorting machinery. Battery-operated sets: remove batteries to the battery bin. Solar sets contain both a battery and a panel — same WEEE route.
Tips
- January tip trips: take the dead lights with you
- Remove batteries from battery-operated sets first
Which bin does it go in?
Small-WEEE point — they're the classic January tangler
🏭 Find the nearest suitable location
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Background: Batteries, vapes & electricals: the fire-risk items.
Also searched as: christmas lights, string lights, LED lights.
✓ Checked against current UK guidance: 14 Jul 2026. Spot an error or an out-of-date rule?