Recycle Your Christmas Lights This Year In Will County

WILL COUNTY, IL — This holiday season, Will County is encouraging residents to recycle their broken string lights instead of putting them in landfills, where they will take many years to break down.

Collection carts will be set up in Joliet and Homer Glen from Dec. 1-Jan. 31, the county said; see below for more details. String lights are also accepted year-round at electronic collection sites throughout the county.

"String lights take up space in the landfill, taking hundreds of years to decompose," the county said in a news release. "They contain copper, plastic and glass that could be returned to the economy rather than wasted. Animals, domestic or wild, may also get into trash receptacles, become entangled in the lights. Safe recovery of these lights is a win for all."

Will County Executive Jennifer Bertino-Tarrant said it is the season "to be thankful for our resources by recovering them instead of tossing them in the trash.”

Collection carts will be set up at the following locations and are available during normal business hours:

• County Office Building (outside), 302 N. Chicago Street, Joliet
• Land Use Building lobby (inside), 58 E. Clinton Street, Joliet
• Sunny Hill Nursing Home entrance (inside), 421 Doris Avenue, Joliet
• Village Hall, 14240 W. 151st Street, Homer Glen.