How Chicagoans can recycle their Christmas trees, holiday lights

How to dispose of broken Christmas lights

Every year we pull out the Christmas decorations, test the lights, and they no longer work. But what's the best way to dispose of those broken lights? Sherry Skalko, with Reduce Waste Chicago, joined Good Day Chicago on Thursday to talk about your options.

CHICAGO - If you decorated your home with a real tree this Christmas, it's time to think about recycling instead of sending it to a landfill.

Starting Jan. 11, Chicago residents can drop off real trees at one of 27 parks throughout the city.

The Department of Streets and Sanitation and the Chicago Park District first launched the city's Christmas tree recycling program in 1990.

All trees must be free of ornaments, tinsel, lights or flocking. Plastic bags used for transport must also be removed before placing trees in the stalls.

Chicago holiday tree recycling locations

From Jan. 11-25:

Bessemer Park, 8930 S. Muskegon Ave.
Humboldt Park Boathouse, 1301 N Humboldt Dr.
Lincoln Park, East Side of Cannon Drive at Fullerton Avenue
West Chatham Park, 8223 S. Princeton Ave.
Rowan Park, 11546 S. Avenue L
Clark Park, 3400 N. Rockwell St.
Jackson Park, 6300 S. Cornell Ave.
Margate Park, 4921 N. Marine Dr.
North Park Village, 5801 N. Pulaski Rd.
Sheridan Park, 910 S. Aberdeen St.
Forestry Site, 900 E. 103rd St.
Kennedy Park, 2427 W. 113th St.
Marquette Park, 6700 S. Kedzie Ave.
Norwood Park, 5800 N. Avondale Ave.
Walsh Park, 1722 N. Ashland Ave.
Garfield Park, 100 N. Central Park Ave.
Kelvyn Park, 4438 W. Wrightwood Ave.
Mahalia Jackson Park, 8385 S. Birkhoff Ave.
McKinley Park, 2210 W. Pershing Rd.
Portage Park, 4100 N. Long Ave.
Warren Park, 6601 N. Western Ave.
Grant Park, 900 S. Columbus Dr.
Lake Meadows Park, 3117 S. Rhodes Ave.
Mt. Greenwood Park, 3721 W. 111th St.
Riis Park, 6201 W. Wrightwood Ave.
Wentworth Park, 5701 S. Narragansett Ave.
Hiawatha Park, 8029 W. Forest Preserve Dr.

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How to recycle your Christmas tree: Simple tips for a sustainable goodbye

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How to recycle your Christmas tree: Simple tips for a sustainable goodbye

As the holiday season ends, many people are looking for ways to properly dispose of their Christmas trees.

Sherry Skalko from Reduce Waste Chicago said they started holiday light collection efforts four years ago across six locations on the North Side, collecting roughly 1,400 lbs of material.

The amount of material more than doubled last year at two dozen locations.

This year, Reduce Waste Chicago has expanded to 34 locations across the city and suburbs accepting holiday lights.

"There are companies out there that will take out the really valuable metals that are inside the wires and reuse them for other purposes," Skalko said. "That's a heck of a lot better than sending them to the landfill where they will never be used again."

Holiday lights will be collected from Dec. 1 through Jan. 31 at all the following locations. Check out Reduce Waste's website for more information.