Rapid City Holiday Lights Drive Runs Through January
Rapid City residents can drop off non-working lights and cords at about a dozen city collection boxes through January 31, 2027.
Updated on Nov. 3, 2026 in Home Cleaning
Live Poll
Do you plan to drop off old holiday lights for recycling this winter?
The City of Rapid City has issued guidance on disposing of post-Halloween items, including pumpkins, costumes, and candy wrappers, and launched its annual holiday light recycling drive on November 2, 2026. Residents of Rapid City, S.D. can drop off non-working lights and cords at collection boxes across the city through January.
Why it matters
Clearing out Halloween and holiday decorations the right way keeps household trash out of the wrong bins and keeps recyclable materials clean for city processing. The city says tangled lights tossed in regular trash become 'tanglers' that catch in landfill equipment, so proper disposal also helps avoid costly breakdowns at solid waste facilities.
Rapid City collected four tons of non-working lights and cords last year, a record, and more than 17 tons since 2021. Roughly a dozen collection boxes across the city accept Halloween and Christmas lights and dead extension cords through January 31, 2027.
The players
City of Rapid City
The municipal government of Rapid City, South Dakota, which runs the yard waste sites, landfill, and holiday light recycling program for local households.
Rapid City Landfill
The city's solid waste facility, which accepts pumpkin drop-offs and deals with equipment damage from tangled lights.
The details
Pumpkins, carved or uncarved, can be dropped at remote yard waste sites at Fitzgerald Stadium, the Nickel Street collection site, or the Rapid City Landfill, but candles, tea lights, wax, artificial lights, and decorative stakes must be removed first. Worn or torn costumes go in household garbage, while usable costumes and masks can be kept for next year or donated to thrift stores. Candy wrappers, glow sticks, and synthetic spider webs cannot be recycled and belong in regular trash, since placing them in blue curbside bins can contaminate loads and jam machinery.
Timeline
Sunday, November 1, 2026: Holiday light recycling drive kicked off
Through January 31, 2027: Drop-off bins available at listed locations
After Election Day, November 3, 2026: Property owners should remove political yard signs promptly
The Home Front
Rapid City's holiday light drive has now gathered more than 17 tons of non-working lights since 2021, with last year's four-ton haul setting a city record. The program keeps tangled strands out of landfill equipment and reflects a steady local push to divert seasonal decorations from household trash.
Gather non-working Halloween and Christmas lights and dead extension cords and drop them in a collection box before the drive closes at the end of January. Pull candles, wax, and stakes out of any pumpkin before putting it in a yard waste bin, and keep candy wrappers and fake webs out of your blue recycling bin.
The takeaway
Sorting post-holiday decorations by where they belong keeps recycling clean and landfill equipment running. Mark January 31, 2027 on your calendar as the last day to drop off old lights and cords.
What happens next
Holiday light collection boxes remain open through January 31, 2027, so decorations can be dropped off until then.
Further reading
For more on keeping seasonal clutter out of the household waste stream, browse our Home Cleaning guides.
Source note: This article includes information reported by Kotatv.
Live Poll
Do you plan to drop off old holiday lights for recycling this winter?
