Monroe County and Key West Launch Holiday Light Recycling Program

Monroe County and the City of Key West implemented a temporary holiday light recycling program beginning in mid December, offering residents a place to dispose of unwanted or broken string lights without placing them in curbside recycling. Collection bins were placed at the Home Depot stores in Marathon and Key West and were scheduled to remain through January 15, 2026. Additional community locations accepted broken strands for later transfer to the Home Depot collection. Those locations included Coral Isles Church in Tavernier, the Eco Discovery Center in Key West, and Florida Bay Forever at Green Turtle Hammock State Park in Islamorada.

The program addresses a specific gap in local recycling rules. String and rope lights are not accepted in curbside recycling, and improperly placed lights can contaminate recyclable materials, complicate processing, and increase disposal costs. By providing designated seasonal drop off points, county and city officials sought to reduce the volume of lights entering the landfill stream and to limit contamination in curbside collections.

Institutionally, the initiative demonstrates a public private partnership model that leverages retail infrastructure and community organizations to expand municipal recycling capacity on a temporary basis. Home Depot served as the primary collection host, while local faith based and environmental organizations acted as transfer points. This arrangement reduced the need for immediate municipal transport and created additional, locally accessible options for residents across the island chain.

For residents the program was a practical convenience with environmental benefit. Proper disposal of holiday lights can lower solid waste processing burdens and extend the effective life of local recycling infrastructure. The county notice reminded residents that string and rope lights should not go in curbside recycling and encouraged use of the seasonal collection to keep these items out of the landfill.

Looking forward, the seasonal effort highlights policy questions for county leaders about year round options, funding for expanded diversion programs, and how municipal services can partner with private and nonprofit actors to meet community expectations for sustainable waste management.