America in Bloom-St. Charles sponsoring holiday lights recycling

Do you have strings of holiday lights that don't work, are hopelessly tangled, or are no longer wanted? Don't throw them out where they'll sit for years in a landfill - recycle them!

America in Bloom-St. Charles, Elgin Recycling and the City of St. Charles are teaming up to offer a holiday lights recycling program to reduce the amount of lights that end up in landfills.

Beginning Nov. 1, St. Charles residents and businesses are welcome to drop off holiday lights (working or nonworking) and electrical cords at convenient locations around town. Elgin Recycling will haul them away at no cost.

Acceptable items include: traditional holiday lights, LED holiday lights, Italian mini holiday lights, rope lights, and extension cords

They will not be accepting holiday string lights that are attached to garland, live greens, wreaths, Christmas trees, lawn decorations/ornaments or other nonrecyclables. These do not qualify for the program and will contaminate the collections.

Collection bins are located inside the buildings listed below. More locations coming soon. Items dropped-off are only to be put in designated bins. If a facility is closed, do not leave items anywhere outside the building.

• St. Charles Public Works, 1405 S. Seventh Ave., from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday to Friday. Deposit them inside the street-level lobby. There is no drop off when the gates are closed.

• Pottawatomie Community Center, 8 North Ave. in St. Charles, from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday, and noon to 5 p.m. Sunday.

• Hickory Knolls Discover Center, 3795 Campton Hills Road in St. Charles, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday to Saturday, 4 to 8 p.m. Thursday, and noon to 4 p.m. Sunday.

• St. Charles History Museum, 215 E. Main St., from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday to Saturday.

• Blue Goose Market, 300 S. Second St. in St. Charles, from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily.

• Heinz Brothers Greenhouse Garden Center, 2010 E. Main St. in St. Charles, from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday to Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday.

• Ace Hardware, 2650 E. Main St. in St. Charles, from 7:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday to Friday, 7:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday, and 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday.

For more information, call City of St. Charles Public Works Department at (630) 377-4405 or email alwaysrecycle@yahoo.com.

Elgin Recycling is providing the bins and will donate any net proceeds from recycling the items to the America in Bloom-St. Charles effort.